Acceptance
by nebulord
Summary: [AU] A murder attempt on Naruto when he was four left him scarred deeply, both mentally and physically. Meeting a deity who was taking a walk, he makes a decision to leave, hoping to find acceptance later. [To be loved. . .]
1. MEETING OF A GOD, A SPIRIT AND A KID

**A Naruto Fanfiction**

**Title: Acceptance**

**Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst**

**Rating: R**

**Summary: AU A murder attempt on Naruto when he was four left him scarred deeply, both mentally and physically. Meeting a deity who was taking a walk, he makes a decision to leave, hoping to find acceptance later.**

**Warnings: Naruto is OOC; Gore/Violence.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Notes: I'm not Japanese, so if there are any errors in the language, tell me so I can change it ). Enjoy!**

Chapter One: Meeting of a God, a Spirit and a Kid.

Blood seeped out of his wounds. His eyelids slowly lifted, only to see a hazy silhouette of drifting snowflakes descending onto his broken body. The lazy sunlight peeked through the bare branches, illuminating the wispy flakes in a shimmering halo of orange light.

The sky was darkening, its orange hue slowly fading into an ominous grey. _Night is coming_, Naruto thought. _Night. . .the time when monsters come out to play_.

He shivered, causing a spasm of pain that wrecked through his body. Naruto exhaled slowly, biting his lower lip as his four-year-old mind desperately willed the pain to end.

"_Monster_. . ."

Slowly, as snow piled onto him, numbness enveloped him. The agony that ripped through him a few moments ago ebbed away, only leaving a dull ache around the area where the cross had. . .

. . .had _branded _him.

"Like a monster. . ." Naruto whispered softly, remembering the cruel words that were thrown at him.

A glistening tear slipped down his pale, shuddering cheek. His eyelids drooped, and then closed as he sank into an inky, black sea.

"Like. . .like me."

---

Naruto woke up, his body feeling surprisingly fresh. Testing his legs, he found them unbroken, without scars or any other knife-marks that. . ._they_. . .had inflicted. He then stared at his fingers stupidly, scanning each wrinkle, looking at the faint highlight of his nails that shifted across the pink, hard surface when he moved his hands.

Trembling, he bent his arms upwards, murmuring gibberish under his breath. His shaky fingers stretched slowly, before touching the hard folds of his ear.

Naruto chocked in happiness and glee. Tears sled down his face as he shut his eyes tightly, hugging his knees against his body for comfort.

The dark images flashed through his mind. The leering faces and hard eyes boring into him, laughing at him as they sawed his fingers away and ripped his ear out. He could remember the torture, the rush of white-hot pain that engulfed him, chocked him with his own blood. His throat was raw and bleeding, but he could not stop screaming. It was a loud, piercing shriek, filled with terror and agony.

His captors had laughed, cackling in delight as they danced to his screaming symphony. They smirked, trailing a gleaming kunai across his skin. The pressure wasn't heavy enough to cut, but it was enough for the boy to notice its presence.

He stifled his shrieks as he felt the blade upon his skin. A sudden numbness engulfed him, stopping the pain as terror rattled his bones. His eyes widened as he stared into the cold, beady eyes of his captor. Moonlight flowed across the man's savage grin.

The shinobi saw the fear in his eyes multiple tenfold as the boy realized what the man was about to do. He struggled futilely against the chains; he shook his tear-streaked face in a weak protest, but it was too late.

The wicked blade bit in deeply, leisurely slicing across his skin. Blood oozed out from long scratch, forming a small drop that barrelled down onto the cold wooden floor below.

The man laughed while his friends hurriedly joined the fun. The numbing shock that wrapped around his veins was torn apart as more kunai skipped across his flesh with the pale, silvery moonlight as a spectator.

Forcing a soldier pill down into his throat to prolong his life, the boy cried as the cold wood under him was softened and warmed by the flowing rivulets of blood.

---

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!"

Sarutobi glanced up from his paperwork at the frantic screaming of Hiro, the chunnin he had assigned to watch over Naruto when he was out of town. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he pushed the paperwork aside and waited. In less those five seconds, Hiro rushed in, out of breath, clutching a bloodstained shuriken in his hands.

"Hiro! Wha---"

"Hokage-sama! I have terrible news! Naruto. . .Naruto's gone!"

The Hokage narrowed his eyes, and spoke quickly and quietly in a subtle and deathly whisper.

"The boy. . .is. . ._what?!_"

"I'm am truly sorry Hokage-sama, but my mother! She felt severely sick yesterday, and I was forced to leave early and go to the hospital. I never thought it would have ended up this way! I thought the kid was going to be alright! But today, when I had visited him to check up on him, I found his flat ransacked, with blood stai---"

"Blood?" the Hokage questioned, cutting off the panicked chunnin. "_Blood?!_"

"I. . .hai," the chunnin regretfully confirmed his question in a quaking whisper.

In a blink, Sandaime was out of his chair, all fatigue forgotten as he sped towards Naruto's apartment.

_My friend. . .I pray I have not failed you._

Yet in his mind, a dull persistent nag told him otherwise.

---

"Oi kid, you alright?"

Naruto looked up from his sniffling, flinching as the stranger touched his shoulder.

A pair of golden eyes stared back at him. They belonged to a handsome face, with black, spiky hair that ruffled in the slight breeze. He raised an eyebrow when Naruto just remained silent.

"Look, I know I'm awesome and really dashing and all but you are, after all, a _boy_ and just so that you know, I don't swing that way."

Not understanding what the teen just said, Naruto just shrugged the words off and blurted out the two most pressing questions in his mind.

"Who are you? Am I dead?"

---

The Third looked on sadly at the mess of the apartment. Whoever did this was very good in covering their tracks. The clue they had left was that shuriken, and unfortunately, that was not enough to pinpoint who the killer was.

Sarutobi closed his eyes, unwilling to see the long, dry trails of blood leading from the kitchen to the shattered window.

_Arashi. . ._

---

"No, you're not dead kid. As for who I am, well, take a guess!" the golden-eyed stranger chuckled.

Naruto's eyes widened a little when he was told that he was alive. _But. . .but my hands! That's impossible!_

"Liar!" the boy yelled. "My fingers. . .and my ears! They were. . .wer---"

"Yes, yes, that was ripped off in a most grotesque manner. Then again, I am a god, so that wasn't a problem," the deity smiled as he took out a cup of instant ramen from his coat. "Anyway, you must be hungry. Ramen?"

Naruto glanced warily as he looked at the man. Ordinarily, he would have agreed to ramen no matter who it was, but that night had obviously caused him to gain much distrust in strangers, even if they _are_ gods.

The deity rolled his eyes when he noticed the boy's obvious suspicion of the ramen cup.. "Kid, if I want to poison or kill or torture you in the most painful way ever I would have given you to my cousin. Now eat. You were asleep for almost a week, and even with that fox spirit in you, it is still unhealthy, especially for a young mortal like you."

Naruto reached out for the cup, jerking his hands back and forth as he neared the offered food. He was guarded, ready to take off and a moments notice if the strange man attacked. As he peeled away the cover, the steaming aroma of ramen drifted into his nose. Naruto breathed in deeply, admiring the sweet, spicy smell. Giving a small grin, he happily picked up a pair of chopsticks, split them, before tucking into his favourite food.

After halfway through his 7th bowl, the blond curiously looked up at the deity (who was reading a book), as quietly asked his question.

"Are. . .are you really a god?"

At first, no answer was forthcoming. Naruto thought he had somehow offended the man and tried to apologize. Stammering, he said, "Ashikarazu (trans: I'm sorry"), I was jus---"

The deity lowered his book. His golden eyes wandered to Naruto.

"Hai, hai, whatever. There's no need to apologize. Yes, I'm a deity. Iikagen's my name. I'm the God of Anything Goes. If you laugh, I will slit your throat."

Naruto, being Naruto, disregarded the warning as he chocked on his noodles.

"God of Anything Goes? What kind stupid title is that!" croaked the blond before dissolving into a fit of laughter.

Iikagen narrowed his eyes at the boy. _Hmm, he is still able to laugh even after that night. Well, that's good I guess, **but no one laughs at my expense**_.

Clutching his stomach, Naruto stopped for a breath. Opening his eyes, he met a furious pair of golden orbs. A low whisper drifted to his ears.

"Unless you want blood gushing out of your throat, _stop_ laughing."

Almost immediately, Naruto leapt away, backing into a corner of the cabin before stammering, "I'm. . .so-sorry. . .do-don't hur-hurt me."

_Damnit. I forgot he still hasn't got over it yet. Ah well. . ._

Sighing, Iikagen sighed. Standing up, he said, "Just joking kid. C'mon. Obviously you can't return to your human home. I guess you'd just have to follow me."

Cautiously, Naruto stood up, his legs slightly shaky. Realizing that it was just a joke and that he wouldn't need to return to _that_ _place_, the youngling hurried up to the strange deity as he walked out of the creaking cabin.

"Where. . .where are we going Iikagen-sama?"

"A warmer place perhaps. A better place to start your training."

"Training?"

"Yeah. You don't actually expect me take care of you for your whole life right?"

"Ah. . .hai Iikagen-sama."

"Iikagen would do kid."

"Hai."

Their voices slowly faded in a flurry of snow.


	2. KAWAII FOXES AND CRAZY KIDS

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.

**Review replies:**

bhodi li: Hehe, powerful techniques? Probably, but its not what you'd expect )

nishasha: Thanks. Iikagen would be glad to know he has fans He is "awesome" after all )

eyes0nme19: Thanks!

Little Fox Kit: Heehee, thanks. Actually, I thought the torture scene wasn't gory enough ). Anyway, yes, that is the last line. It wasn't cut off )

**Notes:** Heeeeeere's another chapter Ladies and Gents! Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Kawaii foxes and Crazy Kids.

"Eh? Iika-aniki, I thought we were going to a warmer place to train. Why did we stop here aniki?"

Iikagen smirked, before waving his hand. A tent suddenly 'pop'-ed into existence, dropping onto the snow with a dull thud.

"Well. . .I guess you could I've changed my mind."

Naruto's gaze darted back and forth the simple tent and the smirking god. Curious, he walked to the tent, raising the unlatched flap to peer inside. There was a white box at a corner of the tent with a unrolled bell roll laid beside it.

"Eh? Are we staying here Iikagen-aniki?" asked the blond curiously. "But there's only one bedroll here! Where are you going to sleep?"

The deity ignored them before sitting down onto the snowy floor, cross-legged.

"Your questions will be answered later. First off, we need to have a little chat with a certain fox spirit in your body eh?"

A big question mark popped over Naruto's head as he stared at his adopted brother stupidly.

Iikagen slowly lost his smirk as he saw the confusion in the boy's eyes.

"No. No way. Please, don't tell me you don't know about Kyuubi."

"Who's Kyuubi?" asked Naruto curiously, his voice ringing out with a undertone of innocence and puzzlement.

"Oh my god. No wait, I am a god, so it should be oh _me_," cursed the deity as he started muttering expletives in 27 languages.

"You really have no idea, don't you?"

Naruto continued staring.

"Gah. And I thought I was suppose to know everything. I'm gonna have a talk with my sectary. She was suppose to make sure I _do_ know everything," Iikagen ranted on in a low whisper, before waving his right hand again.

Naruto blinked, and suddenly found himself landing in a maze of corridors flooded with dark, murky water. Standing up, he realized that Iikagen was beside him.

"Neh? Iika-aniki, where are we?"

"In your mind."

"In. . .my. . ._mind_?" stuttered Naruto as he quickly whirled around, expecting a monster to leapt out from behind the shadowy walls.

"Relax kid. This is, after all, _your_ mind. You're practically a god here. You can control any aspect here. And please, stop splashing water onto me. This _is_ my favourite coat."

Naruto stopped and looked up at the golden-eyed teen. "A god? You mean I'm like you when I'm here?"

"Duh. This is your mind after all. But, no, I'm still more awesome, so quit comparing yourself to me. Anyway, we aren't here for chitchat. C'mon."

The boy nodded his head and dutifully followed his brother, sometimes looking down into the dingy corridors that they had walked passed.

Iikagen glanced at the quiet boy trailing him.

_He tries to forget what happen, he tries to act the same. _

They rounded a bend, before coming to a massive iron gate that loomed over them ominously.

_Let's hope the baka fox can help him overcome those fears._

"So. . .Naruto, have you heard of a certain attack on your village about 4 years ago?"

The boy scrunched his face up in thought. "Eh. . .I think so. Some fox attacked the us right?"

Suddenly, comprehension dawned onto his face. "That was Kyuubi wasn't it! Kyuubi's the fox that attacked us!"

_Ah. . .he still regards himself as part of the village. Perhaps there is hope._

Iikagen smirked as he looked at the blond. "Hmm. . .not as stupid as you look. Thank goodness."

"OI! I'M NOT STU---"

"Yeah, whatever." Said the deity dismissively. "Anyway, as you have so cleverly deduced, Kyuubi was the fox that nearly destroyed Konoha. The popular myth that is passed down to your generation is that your Forth Hokage destroyed it. Hah! Wouldn't they have liked that.

"Anyway, the truth is that no matter what, Hokages are but mortal. Killing a spirit, especially a nine-tailed fox is not possible. Of course, I have to give the guy credit. He decided to seal it in a baby."

Turning down to see Naruto listening attentively, Iikagen finished his tale.

"That baby's you. And the gate you see over there? There's where Kyuubi lives."

Naruto blinked, his mouth unmoving.

The deity, raising an eyebrow, waited. After a minute, he took out a soft-drink can from his inner coat pocket, popped it open and started drinking.

Naruto blinked.

Draining the can's contents, the god started tapping his right foot. The loud, rhythmical splash of water echoed of the greyish walls.

"Well?"

Naruto blinked again.

Iikagen slapped his palm against his forehead.

"Ok, nevermind. I guess it does come as quite a shock that you have a demon in you, eh?" mumbled the deity as he scratched the back of his head. _Shit, shit, I hope I haven't just scared him till he goes into permanent shock. I guess 4-years-old is a little too early to be telling him this. . ._

"So, eh, yeah, let's um, see Kyuubi shall we?" said Iikagen hurriedly as he turned to face the menacing bars.

Throwing his can at them, he yelled. "OI, BAKA FOX!"

A large red eye winked into existence. It was a deep, churning crimson, like a sea of blood swirling down a slit-like abyss.

_WHO DARES CALL UPON ME. WHO DARES CALL UPO_---

Then the eye narrowed slightly as it surveyed the two beings before it.

_WAIT. IIKAGEN? YOU. . .YOU'VE COME! YOU'VE COME TO FREE ME!_

The happy bark shook the empty hallways.

The deity merely folded his arms.

"No."

_NO? WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO!_

"No."

_BUT_---

"If you were stupid enough to get sealed, that's your problem," smirked Iikagen before turning to see his young charge. "Um. . .so. . ."

It was just then when the god started doubting the wisdom of revealing the truth so early.

Naruto was staring, just _staring_ at the large, red eye. Slowly, he twisted his gaze away to look at his brother.

"Neh. . .is that Kyuubi?"

"Um. . .yeah."

"The one who attacked the village and annihilated half our forces?"

"Eh. . .yes. . ." stated the deity slowly. _Shit, shit, please kid don't faint on me._

Naruto scrunched his face up again, before suddenly bursting into a wide grin.

"KAWAII!"

Iikagen blinked.

Kyuubi blinked.

Iikagen blinked again.

Kyuubi blinked again.

Naruto was rambling. "Wow, I never thought the fox could be this cool and CUTE! Can I hug it, huh aniki, can I?"

Kyuubi snarled angrily as he rammed the bars. _CUTE EH KID? I'LL FUCKING SHOW YOU CUTE, YOU STUPID BRAT!_

Iikagen had his face in his hands, mumbling softly.

"Of all the children I could have walked on, I walked on an insane one. Oh god, what did I do to deserve this."

Then, taking a deep breath, he relaxed a little. _Relax. Maybe he's kidding. Maybe the kid's just covering up his fear with false joy! Yeah, that's it! He, deep down, is afraid!_

The deity looked up, only to see Naruto squealing cheerfully (like a girl), his eyes closed in "happy slits" while Kyuubi bit at the iron bars, slamming his claws against the barrier.

"Oh my god. Oh ME."

And thus started a strange relationship of bickering, quarrelling and annoying between a kawaii fox spirit, a weirdo kid and a egoistical god.


	3. MAD TRAINING AND LAZY GODS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Review Replies:**

nishasha: Yes, he's four. And of course Iikagen's snazzy, he's awesome! :P 

Dragon Man 180: What can I say, Lil' Naruto's weird! 

darkangel68: Thanks :D

bhodi li: Don't' worry, the later chaps will have more Naruto in the foreground. 

WaterBookLover

VentMonster: I think should have added a Humour Genre :P

Salsar Thiran: wtf wtf mate? :P

Nejidragon: Thank you!

Little Fox Kit

drunkdragon12888: What can I say, Iikagen's awesome. :D

animelvr4evr: Hmm….I don't know how :P

**Notes: I'm so, so, so sorry about the spelling mistakes in the last chapter . . Hopefully it won't happen again. Anyway this chapter has some snazzy chakra techniques. I've researched , but incase I made any mistake in the lore, tell me please. Anyway, here's a question to you guys: If Naruto returns to Konoha as a genin, will you want him to go through the same events inbetween the genin and chunnin exams, or do you want something completely different. Just asking. Anywhoo, enjoy the next chapter! **

Chapter Three: Mad training and Lazy gods.

Naruto growled as he crashed onto the shifting sands of Wind Country. A year had already passed since _that_ day.

"Ugh," grunted Naruto as he inched deeper into the comforting shade.

It had been almost a month since he was dumped into the dry wasteland by his "brother".

"Hn, great brother he is," huffed Naruto as he started meditating to fight off the great thirst he was feeling.

He could still remember what happened in his first "training" in Fire Country.

_Naruto found himself back in the chilling snow. Iikagen just sat down on the snow and looked at him for a while before speaking up._

_"Ok, I've decided to start your training here."_

_Naruto became slightly excited as he asked, "What are we going to do, aniki?"_

_The deity merely closed his eyes._

_Suddenly, the length of snow between Naruto and his mentor stretched and lengthened. The ground shuddered, cracks spreading through the dirt like the many tendrils of a spider web. Naruto gulped as he took a step back._

_Suddenly, water bubbled up from the cracks. The fragments of dirt drifted slightly away from each other, before the dark-blue liquid engulfed them, forming a long strip of still, calm water that separated Naruto and Iikagen._

_"Yo kid!" yelled Iikagen from the other side. "You have to walk on the water to my side! That's your training, twerp!"_

_"Walk on water?! Are you insane?!"_

_The deity rolled his eyes. "No you idiot! Your use your chakra!"_

_"Chakra?"_

_Iikagen narrowed his eyes. "You do know what chakra is right?"_

_"Eh. . .some sort of energy thingy that we have?"_

_Relieved that the blond wasn't a complete moron, the god replied, "Yeah. Now, you have to force your chakra through your feet in the right amount so that it lessens your weight till it cannot break through the water surface."_

_"Um. . .ok. . ." Naruto mumbled as he scratched his head._

_As he was about to step on the water, Iikagen shouted again._

_"Oi, not yet! I haven't laid down the conditions of this exercise!"_

_Suddenly, Naruto felt his body stiffened and sink slightly into the soft snow._

_"First off, I made your body something akin to metal. It is now harder to move as your body's heavier and your joints are more difficult to bend. This is to train your stamina and chakra capacity._

_"Secondly, for every time you plunge into the water, your body becomes even heavier and harder to move. Don't worry, you won't drown because after five seconds in the water you get teleported back to where to started from, but this should be a nice incentive for you to not drop into the water too many times._

_"Lastly, a large blizzards gonna hit this place tomorrow. If you it here before it hits, I'll give you shelter. If not, you'll have to force chakra around your body to keep the cold out."_

_Naruto gaped._

_"HEY! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO!"_

_Iikagen just took out his book. "Ask the baka fox in you for help."_

_"BUT. . .ITS STILL IMPOSS---"_

_"Ramen. When you make it over here, I'll reward you with 100 cups of ramen."_

"Ugh. . .too hot to meditate," muttered Naruto as he thought about his first training. Leaning back on a the dry bushes, he still remembered how he, after 3 days, finally crossed over the "river". He was frozen stiff and starving while the weight-metal thingy he had on him had already multiplied by about a hundred times.

Of course, before he could strangle Iikagen for putting him through that icy hell, the god shoved him into the tent, where a hundred cups of steaming ramen greeted his chilled soul.

It was like a gold vault.

A small smile appeared at that memory. "Argh, I'm too easily bribed with ramen, " he chuckled.

Like that time in Water Country. His aniki had doubled his metal weight, dumped him onto a small piece of land surrounded by acres of water. He was supposed to "_use chakra to mold the air around you into a bubble that you can breathe from. Then, using that bubble, dive into the water to find a glowing orb stuck in the seabed and bring it up. If you're about drown, you'll get teleported back to the top with you metal-condition increased again._"

Stupid Iikagen.

He was provided with 4 days worth of food and water. He took about 8 days to complete the task. Again, Iikagen rewarded him, this time with 150 cups of ramen.

Yet, as much as Naruto refused to acknowledge, the boy found it fun to beat his mentor's challenges. He found it satisfying when he managed to survive the god's crazy exercises, like. . .

. . .being dumped some forsaken swamp land in Earth Country with 9 days worth of food for a month. . .

. . .left in a volcano with a week's food supply and having to find a way out himself. . .

. . .dropped near a small twister and needing to run away from it. . .

Of course, he had to repeat the twister one four times before he actually succeeded.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Naruto realised that the sun was setting.

Taking out a calendar, he realized that today was the last day of month.

_". . .Use your chakra to protect yourself and hunt for food. I'll pick you up at midnight on the last night of the month. . ."_

_Finally! thought Naruto excitedly. Another 6 hours more!_

The blond stood up determinedly. As he trekked across the orange sands to hunt for food, a thought rang out in his head, pushing him towards his goal.

_6 hours more. . .TO RAMEN!_

---

Iikagen deftly scooped up the last of his ice-cream from the plastic cup into his spoon, before eating it. It melted in his mouth. The deity savoured the cold vanilla taste for a while, before swallowing it.

Grunting, he threw the empty cup onto floor, where it quickly vanished into air.

_Ah. . .gotta love the invisible cleaners of Tentou._

Leaning back onto the bench while closing his eyes, he spoke out in a lazy drawl.

"You may have been a ninja when you were alive, but I _am_, after all, a god. Don't try hiding."

After a few seconds, a blur leapt down from the overhead tree, landing gracefully beside Iikagen.

"Hn. I wondered how long it would take before you came and approached me."

The white-haired man merely shrugged, and gave a weak smile.

"You wish for something."

It was a statement. There was no anger in it, only a slight tinge of curiosity.

The shinobi scratched his hair, before saying a quick "Hai."

Iikagen opened his eyes and glanced at the ninja.

"I. . .wish for you to teach my son my move," he said.

"Is that all?"

"Hai."

"Hn. . .alright then," conceded the god. "When he is ready, I'll teach him."

At that, the man grinned, before bowing respectfully.

"Thank you."

"Hn. Whatever."

---

Naruto happily slurped up the last of his ramen. His aniki merely sat beside him, reading his book.

"Neh. . .Ika-aniki, will you teach me some cool jutsu now?"

The god sighed, and put away his book.

"Gah. . .fine."

"Wow. . .REALLY?!" exclaimed Naruto as he started jumping around in joy, kicking sand at Iikagen.

"Oi, stop kicking sand at me."

"YAY! JUTSU! JUTSU! JUTSU!"

"STOP KICKING SAND INTO MY FACE, BAKA!"

"Oh. . .heh," grinned Naruto sheepishly. "So. . .um, what am I gonna learn? Is it some cool move that destroys enemies with one hit? Or something that allows me to become someone else, huh, huh isit?"

"Actually. . .no. I don't know any ninjutsu or genjutsu."

Naruto blinked.

After a full minute, a loud cry could be heard across the whole of Wind Country.

"YOU WHAT?!"

"Calm down and let me explain, damnit. Anyway, as I was saying, I don't know any because both of them require seals. Of course, due to my awesomeness as a god, I don't _need_ seals to do jutsu. I'm too awesome for that," shrugged Iikagen.

"STOP STROKING YOUR EGO!"

The deity rolled his eyes. "Anyway, instead of teaching you stupid jutsu which any mortal can do, I'm gonna teach you some chakra techniques."

"Chakra techniques?"

Nodding his head, Iikagen continued. "Watch carefully."

He held his right hand out.

"Now, know that you can force chakra out of body. The only reason you use seals is to use that chakra to create a certain effect.

"But, chakra at its raw, unaltered form is powerful in its own right. With the correct techniques, you can mould your raw chakra into a certain shape.

"The technique I'm showing you will be one of them. First, you concentrate on releasing chakra from the chakra holes in your forearm and your hand, like this."

A blue, wild energy seeped out the deity's hand. It was a furious maelstrom, snapping angrily at everything around it as it whirled around the god's hand.

"Control the energy. Tame it. Calm it. I'm not telling you how, because it's different for everyone. After you do that, it should become something like this."

The raging swirl of chakra subsided, leaving a smaller coat of shimmering blue blaze around the hand. It glimmered, its tendrils leaping up in a hypnotising dance.

"It looks like fire because that's the easiest element to manifest as."

Naruto just nodded as he stared at the pretty flame. "What. . .what can it do?" he mumbled, still entranced by the azure glow.

"Flick me a stone."

Shaking himself out of his fascination, Naruto quickly picked up a stone from the sandy floor, and threw it at his aniki.

Iikagen grabbed the stone.

The projectile exploded into a scattering storm of fine particles and dust. Shaking his hand, the remains of the stone tumbled out, most of it swept away in the desert wind.

"W-wow," stated Naruto. Then, a determined glint came to his eyes. "Hah! I bet I'll master this within a week!"

Rolling his eyes, Iikagen humoured the boy. "Right, right, I'm sure you will."

Beaming, Naruto stretched his hand out, eager to try the technique himself when the deity stopped him.

"Sleep. You can try it tomorrow when you're more refreshed."

"Meh. . .alright."

As Naruto turned away to grab his sleeping bag, the god spoke out again.

"Hey kid. I know you're disappointed that I can't teach you any jutsu, right? Well, what about this. Once, when jutsu were just being invented, there was a scroll which contains the Theory of Seals. Now, what you learn about seals in the academy is just one eighth of the complete theory. Now, if you can complete this chakra technique _and _improve your accuracy till there's an almost 100 chance to hit your target _while moving_, I'll lend you the scroll."

"Wow. . .wait, I thought you said it was lost."

"I have a complete collection of every book, scroll, manuscript that was ever published."

"Oh. . ."

"You have to do this within three months. That is your training."

"Hah! This is going to be easy! Be prepared to give me that scroll in a month!" yelled Naruto, giving a thumbs-up before burrowing into his sleeping bag.

"Hn. We'll see."


	4. A MISTY BLOODLINE, A SAD PAST

**Warnings: Female Haku.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Review Replies:**

nishasha: Naruto likes RAMEN, not chocolate :P As for your other questions, look at my author notes.

Dragon Man 180: Heh. Don't worry, Naruto won't be overpowered. He has one particular disability. . .

Firedude328: Thanks.

VentMonster: I'll try to update fast :D

TenshiKaitou: haha, thanks very much!

**Notes:** Tentou is Jap for "Heaven". Forgot to add that last chapter. Sorry. Anyway, nishasha has asked whether there will be any pairings. Yes, there will be but no, it will not be NaruHina/Saku/Ino. I'm leaning towards Naru-femHaku/Temari. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, next chapter! 8 pages in all (not counting the author notes). **Enjoy!**

Chapter Four: A misty bloodline, A sad past.

_3 years later. . ._

Naruto crouched, dodging the punch the mud golem flung at him, before stepping forward, slamming a flaming fist into its face. Then, the blond whirled around, grasping another fist and pulled on it. The fist's owner, another mud golem, was dragged forward into Naruto's open palm.

Stiffening, the humanoid gave a soundless scream, its mouth open in shock as a fiery blue chakra ripped it open.

More golems poured in, trying to overwhelm the fighter. Naruto was a blur, ducking under punches as he did a sweeping kick, knocking some to the ground. Blocking a fist from his right, the blond twisted and pulled it, elbowing the unfortunate golem in the chest. The creature soon crumbled, chakra leapt up from its collapsing figure.

Leaning backwards, Naruto grabbed the arm he dodged, using it as leverage as he pushed against it and kicked backwards, slamming another two golems into oblivion. The surprised humanoid tried to pull his arm back, but the blond had already swung himself under the arm, treating it as a swing as he flung himself up, smashing his feet into the golem's head. Making a quick jutsu, the blond disappeared in a puff of smoke. The remaining golems jumped away, scattering as they looked for their target.

Suddenly, a orange blur darted around them. Lunging, the mud golems tried to punch the boy, only to meet empty air. As the creatures straightened up cautiously, they caught sight of a strange yellow paper, with shiny black kanji written on it stuck to their backs.

Massive explosions rocked the place, ripping the mud figures into a dispersing storm of dirt.

Naruto stood in the middle of the battlefield, panting lightly as he surveyed the battlefield. Seeing all the golems destroyed, he gave a large grin, before shouting to the man in the tree.

"Hey Iikagen! Look, look! I destroyed them all!" cheered the boy.

Tearing his eyes away from his book, the deity raised an eyebrow as he stared at the dancing figure below.

"Wow, wow, how cool," he muttered lazily.

Naruto pouted. "Meh. . .would it kill you to say just _one_ compliment?"

"No. I'm too awesome to be killed by something as stupid as that."

"Gah! Stop being so egoistical!"

"Wrong. I'm just being factual kid, FACTUAL."

Sweatdropping, Naruto ignored his brother's retort as he began jumping up and down again. "Hey aniki! Its been a month since you taught me something new! Can you teach me another chakra attack, huh, can you?"

Sighing, Iikagen put away his novel before leaping down from the tree.

"Naruto, I have. . .well, I guess you could call it a training exercise."

Curious, Naruto just nodded.

"Ever since you were born, you've been isolated and mistreated by those retards back in the village due to their inability to let go of the past. Unfortunately, things were exactly great, considering you were tortured and then left for the dead until I found you."

Naruto shifted his gaze to the ground, staring the fluttering bits of dust twirling on the ground.

"Now, you're with me. For the past 4 years, you have almost zero human contact. The only people you talk to is that baka fox and the awesome me. Unfortunately, we are _not_ human. We aren't _you_. Sooner or later, you'll have to return back to civilisa---"

"Return? But. . .I don't want to!" cried Naruto frantically. "Even if you were to leave me, I rather live as a hermit tha---"

"Exactly. A _hermit_. Look, Naruto, as much as you _want_ to believe that, you know that isn't true. You want attention. You need friends. It is the greatest weakness, yet the strangest strength in humans. You have the ability to instill courage and hope to boost your own morale. You are able to console each other in times of crisis.

"Naruto, you _need_ to _be human_. You need to regain that ability to console, to empathise, to encourage, to love. For without those, you can never feel whole. Without them, those nightmares will always be with you, haunting you, crippling you, especially if an enemy use a fear-based genjutsu on you.

"There are many other people in this world like you. I haven't cuddled you, nor have I babied you, because some people are like, or worse off than you. But, hey, you know what? They pulled through it. They went through shit, but they still can talk about it, openly too.

"Humans have a amazing healing power within their hands. No man is an island. You have to bridge those waters someday Naruto. By familiarising yourself with your world would do you good."

Naruto looked down, blinking away his tears rapidly as the deity heartfelt speech ended.

"I-I-" he chocked, trying to find a feeble protest against the exercise.

"Look. You don't have to return to Konoha. Anywhere would be suitable, as all as you expose yourself to human contact."

"What if I don't. How would you know?" grunted Naruto in a raspy voice.

"I'm a god you moron, of course I'll know. And well, if you don't, I'm not forcing you. Just don't expect to see me again. If you can't get the idea that not everyone hates you on sight, or that not every dark corner you see has lurking ninjas waiting to pounce on you, you're not good enough to be my brother."

The blond remained silent. Taking the silence as a grudging consent, the deity continued.

"Questions?"

"What would I do for money?"

"Hn. Remember our last card game? You nearly beat me. I have no idea why, but my sister seems to favour you. You're a natural gambler kid, use that talent wisely," said Iikagen, smirking, before shoving 10,000 yen into the blonde's hands.

"Good luck foxy boy!" he cheerily waved, before disappearing from sight.

"Gah. . .stupid aniki," murmured Naruto under his breath as he took out a map. "Hm. . .the nearest town is a small village in Wave Country. I guess I'll go there. . ."

Despite his protests, Naruto smiled.

_Perhaps this village won't hate me like the citizens of the Leaf. . ._

---

Slurping his last bowl of ramen, Naruto happily placed the bowl on top of 7 other bowls, before pulling out some money to settle the fee. Jumping off the stool, the blond, after politely thanking the chef for the great food, walked out into the village.

_Ahh. . .the food was good. Hmm, where should I go now?_

Looking around, the boy saw a small clothier at the corner. Looking down at his faded shirt and dirty pants, he decided to buy some clothes to replace the ones he had now.

Strolling into the shop, he greeted with friendly smile. Giving one in return, Naruto waved off the assistance and walked to the back of the store himself.

Ten minutes later, a masked boy strolled out the shop. Half of his face was covered by a black mask. He wore a dark blue long sleeved shirt, with a baggy orange short sleeved shirt over it. A pair of indigo pants covered his legs.

Slinging a bag over his shoulder, Naruto looked to his left.

_Hmm. . .to my left is Water Country. I heard it was a nice place. I think I should go there, eh?_

Making his mind up, Naruto started walking off to the east.

Suddenly, as the blond passed a darkening alley, he heard stifled crying coming from behind an empty dustbin. Curious, Naruto walked toward it, only to find a sobbing girl huddling against the wall.

Crouching down, the boy tentatively patted the girl. She flinched, her head jerking up to stare at the blond with fear-filled eyes.

_Those eyes. . ._

The faint echoes of his own screams and cries during that night suddenly flashed through his mind. Shaking his head slightly, Naruto forced himself to not think of the incident. Giving a small smile, he looked into her haunted eyes and comforted her.

"Hey. . .don't be afraid. I'm a friend."

She was still backed up against the wall, but her muscles relaxed a little.

"You. . .um. . .hungry? I can buy something for you!" continued Naruto, his smile breaking into a hearty grin.

The girl stared into his cerulean eyes, as if she was judging whether the blond was truthful of not. Slowly, she nodded, not trusting her own voice.

Beaming, Naruto dragged her from the ground, grasping her arm loosely as he dragged her into the forest. Normally, she would have screamed in fear and struggled to free herself, but this time, she found an oddly comforting sense of security coming from the boy. The strange feeling nuzzled her, hugged her, giving her the familiar, yet foreign warmth, something she forgotten since her family. . .

Suddenly, they stopped. Naruto pointed at a flowing river, his eyes closed in a high arch as he continued to ramble.

". . .here! Don't worry, no one will peek! I bathed here just a few hours ago too! The water's not too cold, just quite refreshing. You just wash yourself up and wait here. I'll go buy some food and clothes for you!" the blond chatted excitedly. "Oh, and here's an extra bar of soap and another towel. You can use it to dry---

"What's is your name, by the way?" Naruto suddenly asked, stopping his speech abruptly.

"H-Haku," the girl replied, after a few seconds of surprise at the sudden question.

"Haku," repeated Naruto. "Heh, pretty name!"

Haku blushed and gave a slight bow of her head. "Arigatou."

"Well, I'll be off then! Wait for me, ok?"

"H-Hai," said Haku, but the strange boy was already gone.

The corners of her lips perked up a little as she picked up the bar of soap lying on the white towel.

---

Waiting for his two ramen to be cooked and packed, Naruto thought back to the girl.

_Those eyes. . ._

_THAT'S YOUR REASON FOR HELPING HER?_

_Kawaiibi?_

_ITS KYUUBI YOU BAKA! NOT KAWAIIBI OR KAWAII-FOX!_

_I thought you were supposed to be sleeping and not talking to me?_

_I WOKE UP, HAPPY?_

Naruto smirked, before the chef packed up two bowls of ramen and put them into a bag before passing it to him. Paying, the boy then picked up the bag and starting walking back to the river.

_HN. I GUESS SHE IS LIKE YOU._

Naruto kept silent.

_FINE. IGNORE ME._

_Hn. _

Naruto felt the fox shifting away, falling back to sleep.

_That was a strange conversation. . ._

---

Haku wrapped herself up in the fluffy towel while watching the reddish rays of the setting sun dancing across the shimmer river. The yellow clouds drifted lazily in the orange sky.

_Those blue eyes. So much cheeriness. . .yet. . ._

Haku touched her cheek, caressing it gently as she felt the faint memory of her father's blood trickling down her face.

The girl shut her eyes, remembering the fear in his eyes as her mirrors burst out of the ground, circling her father in a dizzy formation.

Haku remembered the blind terror flashing through his onyx orbs, right before a thousand water needles buried themselves within his neck.

_That terror. . .those eyes. . .so much like him._

Suddenly, she heard someone bursting through the bushes. Whirling in fear while unconsciously clutching the towel closer together, she saw the same blue-eyed boy, carrying two bags with a blindfold over his eyes.

"Yo, Haku! How's the bath? Don't worry, I can't see anything except your chakra signature," Naruto reassured the girl before putting down the bags. "Here! The right one contains some clothes, while the other one has two bowls of ramen!"

Soon, in less than a few minutes, Naruto heard a shy "You may take off the blindfold now. . ."

Slipping the rag off, he saw the girl already polishing one bowl of ramen.

"Hungry, huh?" smirked the blond as he watched her picking up the second bowl.

Haku just nodded.

The two then sat in silence, watching the sun sinking down behind the tall mountains.

---

Haku slurped up the last of the noodles. Tentatively, she placed the bowl down, before quietly asking the boy his name.

"Neh? Oh, ashikarazu, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm---"

_DO NOT SAY YOUR REAL NAME. GIVE AN ALIAS._

_Wha---?_

". . .Narashi."

"Arigatou Narashi-san," thanked the girl politely as she gestured to the empty bowls and clothes.

"Neh. . .it was nothing," said Naruto, smiling.

_Oi baka fox, why did you call me to give an alias?_

_I HAVE A FEELING THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU, the fox roared with a tone of finality, warning the boy not to pursue the matter anymore._

Frowning slightly, Naruto turned to the girl. Haku was leaning on a tree, staring at the winking stars with a faraway look on her face.

"So. . .um. . .what happened to you?"

Haku glanced at Naruto, before looking down at the ground.

"Hey, don't worry, if you're not comfortable in saying it, you don't have to," comforted the blond.

"Do. . .do you hate people with bloodline abilities?" she asked after a minute. Her soft whisper was barely loud enough to be heard.

"Eh, no. Why should I? They're just normal people with really cool powers, that's all," wondered Naruto as he cocked his head in thought.

At this, Haku suddenly chocked, biting her lips before dissolving into tears. She drew her knees into her body, hugging them tightly while sobbing. Naruto, feeling slightly panicky, timidly place his hand on her shoulder.

Haku unexpectedly latched herself onto the blond, crying into his chest. Flinching faintly, Naruto cautiously patted the weeping girl while quietly reassuring her.

"Hey, it's alright. . .it'd be ok."

Slowly, the loud hiccups faded into a chocking whimper.

"I. . .am a Mist nin. In our country, Shinobi with A-advanced Bloodlines are the primary weapons. O-over time, those with "Advanced Blood" came to be h-h-hated and f-feared. This forced those with advanced bloods to go into hiding in order to live in peace.

"I am one of the few people in the Mist with Advanced Blood left.

"One day, my father. . .he found about our bloodline heritage. Then, then he. . .k-killed my mother. He _stabbed her to death! Then he tried to kill me!_

"I was afraid, so afraid, that, that my bloodline was activated."

Haku looked up into Naruto's eyes, her hazel orbs slick with horror and disgust --- at herself.

"I killed him. _I KILLED MY OWN FATHER!_" she howled.

"Then I ran. Ran until I had no strength but I still ran. I only reached here yesterday. I was so, so hungry, I felt as if my stom--- no, my body was on fire. I felt as if I was going to die. . .

"I'm a _monster_, Narashi. _A monster unloved by anyone, a devil who killed her family. I don't deserve to live Narashi. . .I should have died. . ._"

Flashes of his past life in the village flashed through Naruto's life.

_. . .it's him. . ._

_. . .no, no, don't play ever with him Hikoru. That boy's a bad, bad boy. . ._

_. . .he should have died. . ._

"Haku, you're _not_ a monster. Never believe that you are. You are beautiful, you are pure, you are innocent. You are not, and will never be, a monster!" said Naruto firmly, forcing her eyes to look into his, to see his sincerity.

Haku completely broke down. Her shaking frame collapsed into Naruto. He hugged her tightly, whispering into her ear while trying to warm her shaken soul.

"Don't worry. . .it'll be ok. It'll be alright. Just cry it out. . .just cry it out."

_. . .I haven't cuddled you, nor have I babied you, because some people are like, or worse off than you. . ._

Iikagen's word echoed within the blond's head. Naruto subconsciously tightened his grasp around Haku.

_. . .you have the ability to instill courage and hope to boost your own morale. You are able to console each other in times of crisis. . ._

_. . .it is the greatest weakness, yet the strangest strength in humans. . ._

"Don't worry. . .everything will be ok. . ."


	5. A SLAP TO THE FACE, SHOT IN REALITY

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Review Replies: THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!  
**Kuria Kitsune: Yes, most likely NaruHaku. . .or maybe a threesome ;P who knows?  
Dragon Man 180: Naru's 8, Haku's 6.  
TimeReaper: I try :P  
Dajare: Thanks! I wanted that chap to get people teary-eyed :P  
Ebil-Baka: :D  
drunkdragon12888: Really? I just based it off my main character of my original works.  
The-Rogue-Otaku: Thank you!  
Zhuyou: Me thank you!  
nishasha: Sorry, but I don't do yaoi :P  
bhodi li: You didn't cry?! NOOOOO I HAVE FAILED :(

**Notes: Sorry for the long wait. School is starting so updates would be later. Sorry. And yeah, this is a short chapter too . Oh well, I'll try to make the next one longer.**

**Chapter Five**: _A slap to the face, Shot in reality._

Haku awoke to a orange mist curling around her feet. Shivering, she pulled the blankets closer to her. She huddled in the sleepy warmth of the woolly cloths, before noticing the blond boy sitting by the river, leaning back onto his arms as he stared at the rising sun.

The orange beams gently licked the boy's face, bathing in a surreal golden glow. His flaxen locks swayed in the chilly morning breeze while his loose shirt flapped with a multitude of slow ripples ruffling across.

Suddenly, Naruto cocked his head back, his unexpected sideways glance at Haku startling the girl a little.

"Neh. . .awake Haku-chan?" the boy grinned.

Haku nodded.

Leaping up from the grass, Naruto walked over to his backpack and pulled out a long towel. Flinging it over to Haku, he gave her another grin before saying, "You should wash up. I'll go buy breakfast. Wait here, ok?"

The raven-haired girl nodded dumbly. Naruto then started walking back down the dirt path to the city when Haku's soft, stuttering whisper stopped him.

"Narashi-kun. . .arigatou."

Turning back, Naruto just beamed. "Meh. . .it was no problem."

Haku, seeing the blond's shining eyes, smiled.

"You know Haku-chan. . .you're beautiful when you smile."

With that, the blond was gone, a slight rustle of leaves fading in the wind as he left a stunned Haku, with the towel swaying in her frozen fingers.

---

After fifteen minutes, Naruto returned with seven bowls of steaming ramen. The two sat down and ate their share quietly.

"Hey Haku-chan," said Naruto, finally a few moments of finishing his sixth (and last) bowl.

"Hmm?"

"You know how you said last night on how you wanted to be a medic nin?"

Haku glanced at her companion curiously.

"Her name is Tsunade. She's considered one of the greatest medical ninjas, able to heal almost any wound. She is one of the Three Sennins of. . .K-Konoha."

Haku inwardly frowned at Naruto's stutter of "Konoha", but did not dwell on it as the boy continued his little speech.

"See. . .I have an. . .ailment of sorts that hampers my ability to do jutsus. And my um, _sensei_ doesn't wish to accept another stude---"

"Ailment? What. . .what do you mean? I've never read about such a sickness before. . ."

"I. . .um. . .don't know how to say this. I just. . .can't use standard jutsus, like Henge or Bunshin," trailed off Naruto. Yet, he gave Haku an exultant smile, his eyes closed in confidence as he proclaimed in a loud braw.

". . .but don't worry! Something as small as that won't get me down! I'm awesome!"

_HAH! YOU WISH._

_Argh, shut-up **Kawaiibi**. No one asked you._

Haku grinned with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Narashi-kun. . ."

"Anyway. . .as I was saying, Tsunade is a great medical nin. Apparently, she wanders around villages, trying her horrible luck out in various gambling dens.

I was thinking that it would be great for you if you could be apprenticed under her. You'll make a great medic nin!" finished the blond.

Then, his eyes dimmed. His smile cracked.

"But. . .but there's one problem. According to my, um, _source_, she just wandered into. . .

. . .into the Village of _Mist_."

Haku still. Her blood chilled. Her chestnut eyes widened.

"We. . .can wait. But, if we do, we won't know which country she goes next. My um, _source_ says that it was pure coincidence that he found Tsunade," muttered Naruto as quickly as possible while averting his gaze to the ground.

The wind whipped around them harder. Leaves drizzled around them in twirling spirals, their brown, crinkled surface glowing with the dulled orange of the sun.

The grass bowed, the glinting dewdrops on their lush green became more apparent as the sky ebbed into a bright sky-blue.

"I'll. . .we'll. . .go."

Naruto was surprised. "You're. . .you're _going?!_ Demo. . ."

Haku stared at the swaying grass. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling loudly, she reopened her eyes and jerked her head up, looking straight into Naruto's eyes.

Determination was set deep into her hazel orbs. The fear, terror and horror that flashed through the girl of yesterday was erased in the girl of today. Haku sat straighter, her lips set in a grim line as she quietly, but firmly spoke.

"I will not run."

_. . .I will not run. . ._

Naruto widened his eyes in surprise. With those four words, any traces of the frightened girl that he had found was gone.

She would not run.

_. . .but, hey, you know what? They pulled through it. They went through shit, but they still can talk about it, openly too. . ._

Naruto wanted to cry. He opened his mouth to protest against her decision, but no sound came out.

_. . .if you do not confront those fears, they will not disappear. They will always remain in your mind, to haunt you, to molest you, leaving you broken and wasted. . ._

He had ran. He had ran for years. Now he was still running.

Yet she. . .she stopped running.

Was he truly a coward?

Naruto had no answer. Even now, the faint cries of his younger self drifted through the door of _that_ memory, the door which he had taken years to seal, years to bury.

Naruto shut his mouth and looked away.

Haku may have a great emotional wound cut into her, but Naruto had it worse. The curses of the villages, the cross-shaped brand that was still left embedded onto his chest. . .

Yet the blond knew he was making excuses.

"If. . .if you truly wish to go now, we shall leave."

"H-hai."

Naruto packed the blankets and towels back into his bag. Picking the backpack up and hoisting it onto his shoulders, the blond gave a shaky smile to Haku, before setting off for Water Country, with Haku trailing behind him.

_Am. . .am I truly a coward?_


	6. BLOOD OF THE MIST, LOVE IN THE LAKE

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Review Replies:**

Wake-Robin: Thanks :D

Samurai Demon-God Sekikage: Don't worry, he won't be innocent. No one can with a murder attempt on your life anyway :P He'll still be a loudmouth at times, but not as much as before.

Kittfox: lol, I think I made him too awesome :P Everyone wants to see him :P

xxSNOWxxDROPxx: ok, I believe anonymous reviews are allow now

Firehedgehog: ok

kd8gun: Haha, same here :P Threesome? Maybe, we'll see ;) anyway, Naruto won't be going back to konoha now, he still has many things to learn.

flare2: I try! Thanks for reading.

Dajare: haha, I'll try to let the Awesome One in later :P

Zhuyou: Agreed!

Dragon Man 180: yupyup! Haku rocks!

**Notes: Sorry for the long delay. It'll take longer these days, because I have some stupid exams next week (yeah, on the first week school starts t.t) so the next chapter may take longer to be updated. :. Sorry. BTW, anonymous reviews are allowed now! Anyway, Happy New Year! Enjoy the story!**

**Dedicated to the people involved in the tsunamis/earthquake that hit Asia.**

Chapter Six: Blood of the mist, Love in the lake.

Naruto smiled sadly at the raven-haired girl as he looked at her peaceful form curled up in a mass of blankets. The moonlight bathed her porcelain skin in soft, accented strokes, highlighting her in an enchanting glow.

The blond leaned back against the dry bark of a tree, watching the clouds drifted aimlessly past the pale eye.

They had been travelling for about four days. Three days of them laughing cheerfully as Naruto taught Haku the basics of chakra.

The girl had seemed to overcome the stigma in her past as she grinned widely while climbing trees.

He marvelled at how she seemed to shrug off the bloodied terrors that had haunted her so.

Yet, he was horribly wrong.

He had gone to find some food for them. After snaring several rabbits, he hurried back to the clearing, only to find the girl gone exploring. . .

_Naruto followed the girl's clear footprints, jumping from tree to tree before bursting out from a slightly parted bush to find Haku rooted in a spot._

_"Haku-chan?"_

_The girl gave no response. She just stood there, her eyes wide open. The blond followed her frozen gaze, only to see a house covered in dirt and leaves. The front door was smashed open. A strange putrid stench drifted from the desolate building, giving Naruto a sudden feeling of dread._

_  
"Haku-chan? What's wrong?"_

_The girl screamed._

_The furious flapping of wings broke the evening peace as Haku started running. The blond dropped the rabbits and gave chase, but not before his Kyuubi-enhanced sight saw it._

_A motionless body lay on the wooden floor. Blood was smeared over the decomposing man --- no, blood was splashed everywhere, like a madman playing with red paint. His neck was gone, ripped to tattered pieces. The wooden floorboard around him was peppered with a thousands holes, thin and minute, as if needles had pierced their surface. _

_This was Haku's old home._

_"Haku-chan!"_

_The girl ignored him, running blindly into the forest. The blond frowned slightly, before adding more chakra onto his feet. Although the metal-condition-suit by Iikagen was still on him, Naruto easily caught up with Haku._

_"Haku, its alright, its **alright**," he reassuringly whispered into her ear as he hugged her lithe body tightly._

_She cried hoarsely, madly twisting her body and weakly scratching Naruto's arms as she tried to free herself. Then her body slumped in defeat before she broke down sobbing again._

_The blond slowly lowered the girl to a tree, gently removing his arms as he set her leaning against the tree._

_When his arms inched away, Haku's arms jerked up and grabbed them, pulling them back to her._

_"I'm so c-cold Narashi."_

_Naruto slowly embraced her again. He whipped his chakra around her body, willing warmth to her fragile soul. _

_Her sobs gradually became softer._

_The rustle of leaves soon filled an awkward silence._

_"You. . .you must think I'm just a cry-baby right?"_

_"N---"_

_"When I saw my house. . .all the memories came crashing into me. . .I just couldn't help it," trembled Haku as she closed her eyes, trying to shut the memories out._

_"Shhhh," comforted Naruto. "We all have fears. . .it's ok. . ."_

_"No!" hissed Haku vehemently. "It is not ok! I told myself to never cry, yet now. . ."_

_"Sometimes Haku-chan, we can't do things on our first try. If we fail, we just gotta try again, try until we succeed."_

_"I. . .I just don't want to be weak."_

_"Haku-chan, you are not weak!" shushed Naruto firmly. "You are strong, and will become stronger in the future!"_

_Naruto tentatively and lightly kissed the girl on the cheek._

_"You are the strongest girl I've seen. You will beat your past --- I'll make sure of that."_

_The girl clutched the blond's arms closely. A loose tear rolled down her faintly blushing cheek._

_"Arigatou. . .Narashi-kun," she murmured, before falling asleep. _

Was it attraction? Was it lust? Was it. . .love?

Naruto did not know. He did not know why he kissed her, or why he wanted to help her overcome her past.

_GOT THAT RIGHT, KID. YOU CAN'T EVEN FACE YOUR OWN TERRORS AND NOW YOU GO AROUND GIVING FALSE HOPE TO PEOPLE?_

_Quiet fox!_

_HAH! ADMIT IT, YOU CAN'T HELP HER. YOU CAN'T EVEN HELP YOURSELF!_

_I gave a promise. . .I **will** keep it._

_WE'LL SEE, BRAT._

Naruto stared back at the moon, wishing he could believe it was as simple as he made the promise out to be.

---

The sun stubbornly forced its way into Haku's eyes. The glaring light pricked her senses, jarring her awake.

"Ugh. . ."

Haku rubbed her eyes sleepily, before shrugging out of the blankets. Smoothing her hair down, she noticed Naruto beside her, leant against a tree asleep.

She looked down immediately, ashamed and disgusted at herself for acting like that. Haku berated herself, wondering how she ever believed that she could beat her past. She was pathetic!

Yet, the blond beside her had absolute faith in her. He believed in her. . .

_. . .like her mother did._

Haku glanced at the boy, smiling slightly. A tinge of redness blessed her cheeks as the girl remembered the light brush of Naruto's lips upon her face last night.

The girl stood up, carefully draping the blankets over the slumbering blond. Her mouth was set in a firm line as she started walking towards her ancestral home.

---

"Eh?" murmured Naruto. He blinked, before wincing as sunlight jabbed his eyes painfully.

Then the blond jerked himself into reality as he realized that his companion wasn't beside him.

"Haku-chan?"

Fear spread through his veins. Naruto quickly flung the blankets away and leapt to the trees.

Branches snapped as chakra burst through their wooden arms. Trees cringed as bark and chips of wood were forcibly ripped from the trunks.

Kyuubi grunted as he felt a cold anxiety spread through his vessel. Rolling his eyes, the fox spirit tried to ignore the pressing worry and went back to sleep.

_I WONDER NARUTO, HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO REALISE THAT YOUR HEART CANNOT BE SEALED FOREVER. YOU ARE ALREADY IN LOVE, AND YOU CAN'T STOP IT._

The blond, already panicking slightly, did not hear the fox's amused chuckle as he sprung off trees, following Haku's faint scent.

It was in these times when he thanked Kyuubi for his enhanced senses.

"Haku-chan!"

Finally, Naruto reached a empty house.

_Haku-chan's old home! But why is she here?_

He spotted her hoisting a shovel, patting down the mud of a rectangular mound.

"Haku-chan!"

The raven-haired girl in question raised her head up, startled as a orange-black blur descended and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Haku-chan. . .you ok? Why are you crying? Are you ok? I was so worried when I didn't find you beside me. . .I thought. . .I thought you did something. . .something stupid," ended the blond lamely. He was blushing madly as he removed his hands around the girl and took a step back.

Haku quickly wiped the streaks on her eyes and gave a shaky smile. Then an evil glint shone in eyes before she suddenly put on a facade of hurt and spoke out in a sad tone.

"Narashi-kun. . .thinks I'm stupid and weak?" She bit her lips and sniffed, wrinkling her face as if as she was about to cry.

Naruto, horrified that he made a girl cry, started waving his arms frantically while stammering "Nonononono, I didn't mean to say that! I'm so _sorry_!" over and over again.

---

Up in the heavens, Iikagen looked down at his adopted brother, before rolling his eyes.

"_Dumbass_."

---

Haku tried to keep the façade up longer, but dissolved into a flurry of giggles. Doubling down, she laughed at Naruto's startled face.

"You. . .you look so _cute_ when you panic like that!" snickered the hazel-eyed girl.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and sighed. Ordinarily, he would have strangled anyone who dared trick him this way. . .but the sight of Haku laughing in such joy brought a smile to his face.

"Neh Haku-chan. . .that was mean," pouted the blond as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Gomen Narashi-kun. . .I just saw so you flustered. . ." Haku trailed off, giggling again.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, but inwardly smirked.

_She's healing._

"So. . .what were you doing?"

Haku quietened. Her gaze was averted to the two mounts beside her. The chirping of birds filled the air.

"I. . .I buried my parents."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

Haku smiled wispily. "I may not have been able to completely come to terms with my. . .loss. . .but at least I am at peace with my parents."

"Even. . .even your father?" blurted Naruto, before realizing what he had said. "AH! Sorry! I didn't mean to ask you that. . .ignore it!"

"It's ok," reassured the girl. "I guess. . .yes, yes I have. I know he did try to kill me, but he is still my father.

"I may not forgive his actions, but I do. . .understand them, to a certain extent. Fear is a dangerous emotion."

The blond was shocked, but struggled to not show it. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm gonna go back to the house and clean it for the last time. Then maybe I might take some of my family's jutsu scrolls to learn from."

"Cleaning? Want my help?"

"Ok," Haku said. "But, um, could you get some food first?"

"Heh. Ok Haku-chan," grinned Naruto.

The blond starting turning back, but still midway.

"Haku. . .are you really ok?"

The girl lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"Just. . .just let me do this, ok?" she whispered. "I need to do this."

Naruto, surprised at her hardiness and her determination, only nodded dumbly, and leapt away without another word.

_She is truly strong. . . Can I be that strong too?_


	7. LUCK IN THE SPRINGS, BETS ON A PLATE

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Review Replies:**

XxSNOWxxDROPxx: I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything ;)

Dragon Man 180: No she doesn't. Iikagen isn't really a central OC.

Merpleshnerple: …ok. Um, dude, I _know_ Haku is a boy in the manga. Now, please, go to the FOURTH, yes, the FOURTH chapter that read the first line.Yes, the part which says: "**Warnings: Female Haku." Ok, now that you've read that, any _other_ questions?**

kd8gun: Perhaps. But you must remember that the Haku in the manga is not this Haku. This Haku wasn't raised by Zabusa, or whatever his name was :P

Dajare: Yes, yes he is.

Zhuyou: You get your wish.

DarkAngel5290: XD

Wake-Robin: Thanks!

**Notes:** **This chapter may appear rushed. Sorry. Technically, ALL my chapters are rushed. I take a month and more to write a good chapter XD.**

**Chapter Seven:** _Luck in the springs, Bets on a plate._

The lights shimmered and glowed with a tingling excitement. Naruto grinned as he watched Haku spun round on her feet, laughing merrily in her chirpy voice.

Apparently, the girl that been confined to her house for almost all her life.

_Ugh, that's quite sad, thought Naruto. Although the blond himself had never stepped into civilisation before, or at least not when the place was celebrating a festival, he had amused himself with his own chakra, summoning the strange energies and twisting them in exotic displays._

It had been two days since the incident Haku's house. The girl had been withdrawn on the first day, but recovered on the second day.

_Perhaps this trip would do her well, thought Naruto wryly._

Then Naruto took a deep breath, and began to focus.

A blank grey engulfed his mind immediately. A deep silence blanketed him.

Exhaling, Naruto felt himself dissolving, falling backwards into the black veil. Slowly, blue, flickering shapes appeared. They were blobs, barely in an human position. He turned his 'head'. Slowly, Naruto felt his awareness increase as more shapes blurred into view. Zipping through the blue mist, Naruto twist and turned, diving through them as he sought for Tsunade.

Suddenly, he felt a calm, soothing presence. Dashing towards it, he found two greenish shapes lazily drifting in the dull grey. Slowly, the shapes sharpened, and he found himself looking at a young, ravishing blond, with a diamond-shaped tattoo on her forehead. She had a enticing grin on her face, while her eyes were a pairing of glittering orbs.

Her companion had black, frizzy hair. Her face was youngish, while her eyes were a dull black. She wore simple clothes, and had a small, cute smile on her face.

_Finally. I found them!_

"NARASHI! OI!"

"Huh? Wha---" stammered Naruto as he was shaken violent.

Shaking his head, blond cleared his vision to see a worried, yet fuming Haku in front of him.

"Oi! What's wrong with you?! I've been trying to talk to you for the last half an hour!"

"Half an hour?!" exclaimed Naruto. _Wow, that took longer than before. . .must have been the extra people in the village_.

"Sorry Haku-chan," grinned Naruto sheepishly. Before Haku could start scolding him again, the blond grabbed her arm and started pulling her through the crowd.

"But never mind that! C'mon, I think I know where Tsunade is!"

Haku protested, but it was futile as the blond just ran through the mass of people. Finally, they skidded to a stop outside a bright, flashy casino.

A raging woman had just exited the place. Her companion was desperately trying to console her while holding a squealing pig in her left hand.

"ARGH! THEY MUST HAVE CHEATED! I JUST KNOW IT! DAMN THEM!"

"Don't worry. ..we'll get the money back later."

Naruto, relieved that he caught them, hurried up to them.

"Um. . .excuse me, but I can't help but overhead that you two have financial problems?" asked the blond in his most polite tone. "Perhaps I can help. . ."

The two women glanced at the strange boy. "Help? What do you mean by that? Look, if this is some scam, I break your head open, shrimp!" yelled Tsunade, her temper already big due to her losing in gambling.

"Oh, no, no. I'll help you earn back three times of what you have lost."

Shizune raised her eyebrows. "What's the catch?"

"Hmm. . .the only catch here is to take my friend here," said Naruto as he jerked a thumb at Haku, "as your apprentice. . ."

. . .Tsunade-sama," he finished, looking at the white-haired Sennin in front of him.

The two women froze. Haku stared her companion in mute shock, her eyes goggled as her gaze flickered between Naruto and Tsunade.

Shizune gave a weak, shaky smile. "You must be kidding. . .my friend here isn't the great Sennin Tsuna---"

"You lie. Your medical chakra is too potent to be unnoticed."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You are a ninja. A powerful one, or else you wouldn't sensed my chakra signature."

Naruto chuckled and bowed. "I beg to differ, my great Tsunade. I am no powerful nin."

"Then how were you able to sense us?"

"I. . .have a disease. I believe you should know it. It's called chakra chaos," said Naruto. "You should know this eh? Because of this disease, I have an increased sensitivity to chakra types and signatures. That was why I was able to detect you. You may have cloaked yourself to normal chakra-finding techniques, but no one can cloak themselves from me.

"But we aren't here to talk about me. We are here to talk about you giving my friend, Haku-chan here an apprenticeship under you."

Haku was jerked out of her shock with the boy's words. "Narashi! Stop being rude!"

Naruto smiled wryly at the girl, before facing Tsunade again.

"Look, how about this: I will raise _five_ times the amount you lost. If I do, you take Haku-chan under you."

"What?! Narashi, are you _insane?!_" hissed the girl frantically. "You can't possibl---"

"Five times eh, kid?" interrupted Tsunade. Her right eyebrow was raised while her face had a disbelieving expression. "I lost about 100,000 yen. . .can you raise _five_ times of that?"

Naruto just gave a cocky smile. "Watch me."

He then slowly started making seals, hesitantly wriggling his fingers and twisting his hands.

_What is he doing? Is he trying to do a jutsu? But the seals are done in the wrong order. . .I doubt there's any jutsu with that order, wondered Shizune. _

A huge blast of chakra and smoke filled the area when the blond finished his jutsu. Coughing, the three onlookers waved their hands, only to see five Narutos staring back at them, a large grin peeking through the thin veil on his face.

AN: I JUST REALIZED THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN EMPHASISING THIS VERY MUCH THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS, BUT NARUTO STILL WEARS THAT MASK ON HIS FACE. IT'S THIN ENOUGH TO SEE SOMEONE SMILE THROUGH IT, BUT THICK ENOUGH TO HIDE CERTAIN DETAILS.

Then the five blonds started on a shorter, faster chain of jutsu. With another 'poof!', five gruff, unshaven looking fishermen stood there. Each looked completely different: a scar here, a tattoo there.

They quickly trooped into the casino.

---

It took an hour and a half.

In one hour and thirty minutes, Naruto, along with his clones, bagged 100,000 yen each, thus totalling up to half a million yen in total.

Tsunade, Shizune and Haku stood there with their mouths wide open as they looked at the blond struggling with his gigantic money bag.

"What?" asked Naruto, wondering why they were so surprised. "It's nothing. . .my aniki told me that I'm a good gambler."

Shizune, unable to comprehend the young boy in front of her was more of a gambling god, fainted.

The blond grinned at the sight of her falling face first into the ground, before asking Tsunade, "So, will you take Haku-chan as your apprentice now?"

The sennin could only dumbly nod.

"Great! Why don't you revive your friend over there, and we could find a place to stay!"

---

They quickly found a moderately lavish inn at a corner of the town with some hot springs behind.

Dumping the sack of money on the carpeted floor, Naruto watched happily as he saw Tsunade swearing Haku in as her apprentice.

"By the way Narashi-san, why are _you_ not trying to be Tsunade's apprentice?" asked Shizune, curious.

The boy shrugged. "I already have a teacher," was his firm, simple answer that ended that discussion quickly.

Tsunade, raising an eyebrow at Naruto's reply, seemed to mentally wave it away, and brightly asked, "So. . .anyone up for a soak in the springs before dinner? My treat."

"Heh. . .you girls go ahead. I'm a male after all. . .can't have me ogling at you beautiful ladies, eh?" said Naruto in an lazy drawl, his eyes smiling with mirth.

Shizune and Haku blushed furiously, but Tsunade just smirked. "Beautiful, eh? Well, what if I told you I'm actually much older than I look? This appearance is but a complex genjutsu."

"True, but your soul is lovely and alluring in its unique way: like white angel above a raging sea," retorted Naruto playfully, his eyes closed in an 'happy arch' as he tease the older woman.

A faint shade of pink tinged the pale-haired sennin. "Charming boy you are, eh Narashi?"

"Glad to be of service, my lady," replied Naruto, bowing deeply with a cocky, teasing smirk on his face.

---

_Naruto travelled with the legendary Tsunade for three more months before leaving to see the rest of the world. When the year was up, he left again with Iikagen, never to be seen for another 3 years. (Naruto is now nine.)_

_After two years (Naruto is eleven), the Snake Sennin Orochimaru attacked Konoha with fox demons he had summoned. Tsunade and her apprentices, Shizune and Haku, returned to the Leaf to help defend it. Jiraiya was also seen in the battlefields. Although the Sound Orochimaru was pushed back, Konoha suffered heavy casualties._

_After another year, Naruto finds himself once again dumped back into civilisation, this time with his metal condition increased by five times. . ._

Naruto struggled, trying to bend his stiff arms while screaming his head off at the fading, smirking figure.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"I just did. Deal with it blondie," laughed the golden-eyed god before he disappeared from view.

Cursing, Naruto twisted his neck (which luckily wasn't paralysed) and glanced at Konoha.

"The Village of Leaf," he murmured softly.


	8. NINS OF THE LEAF, GENINS WITH A BLADE

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Notes:** Sorry for the long delay. Been busy with school. Thanks to all those who replied. I'm not doing the usual one-to-one reply; instead I'm grouping them into one paragraph. Anyway, many of you raised issues about Oro summoning foxes. Sorry if this wasn't clear, but when I said _summon_, it wasn't _Summoning no Jutsu_. It's actually a ritual, with blood sacrifices and stuff. C'mon, if he can resurrect the dead, there's no reason for him to be unable to summon foxes, as long as there is blood. For deathtrap, you said that it's kinda pushing it for Naruto to be smart so young. Well technically, a six-year shouldn't have the capacity to be a chunnin at six, but apparently Kakashi did. I guess murder attempts can change one's mindset, eh?

Lastly, I dedicated this last part to **Yale**, the dumbass who read my note on the the first chapter, which had said that I _may_ have grammatical errors with the japan language. Thus, he decided critique me based on that _note_, not my story, which is obviously less important. Next time, try reading all chapters first, so that you can notice the **translation text beside the Japanese words**. Thank you.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eight:_ Nins of the leaf, Genins with a blade._**

The trees swayed when a slight wind breezed through them. Leaves shifted, slowly twirling on the ground. The bustle of the business sector was a faint echo, leaving only a strange, lingering silence.

Naruto sat atop the Hokage monuments, his eyes distant and contented as he peered at the villagers below. They hurried about their lives, pausing to browse through the good for offer, or to greet their friends with a polite "Ohayo!"

The sky was still blue, with a faint tinge of red. Clouds sauntered merrily across the vast heavens, basking in the warm glow of the rising sun.

It had taken him seven hours to barely move. Then, he took another two hours to stagger into the Hokage Tower, and demand an audience with the Sandaime.

For then on, it was simple to deceive the old man with a cleverly crafted story and nearly reduced him to tears. The old man, after that, had given him a pass, and allowing to take the genin exams with the other students the next day.

He chuckled at the memory. He was after all, the vessel of a fox. Conversing with a fox for the past eight years probably helped bring out his devious and sly nature.

_Genins. Ninjas of. . ._

The Hidden Village of the Leaf. Konoha.

_My home?_

Naruto frowned slightly while he thought about his "home". Even now, as he looked down at the busy town, he could only see flickering shadows of his younger self being chased and beaten up, being ridiculed and scorned.

His eyes refused to even glance at the old block where his apartment was. The solitary building was still there, and with every look at it, more vivid flashes of that night would play in his head.

He didn't know whether he had recovered or not, but that was one thing he did not care to find out.

Suddenly, the loud, dull clang of the school bell echoed across the streets. Children started filing out of their houses, waving goodbye to their parents before running excitedly to school.

The blond smiled sadly at the innocent scene, before twisting his sight towards the Hokage monuments.

"Watch me," he whispered, before disappearing.

---

Naruto sat silently in his corner, studying the other students. A dark-haired, brooding boy, about his age, sat in the second bench. His arms were folded, his eyes closed in annoyance as almost every girl fawned over him.

The blond chuckled, before scanning the rest of the students. A fat boy was constantly stuffing himself with chips while his friend just dozed away beside him.

Further down the benches, a blue-haired, nervous-looking girl sat quietly, twiddling her thumbs. A wild looking boy, with red markings on his face was constantly talking loudly, indirectly reassuring the blue-haired girl beside him. His snowy dog slept soundly, snoring in cute hiccups.

He could already imagine it. If the sarcastic deity he called his brother was here, he would take a good look at the people here and say, "Pansies. Don't become like them."

Naruto smirked, before looking out the window, into the blue sky.

_I wonder what is he doing now?_

_HE'S DOING WHAT GODS DO, BAKA HUMAN._

_Oi! What do you mean by that! Stupid fo---_

_WHATEVER. I BELIEVE YOUR EXAMINERS ARE HERE._

_Huh?_

The blond swivelled his head back to the door, where two teachers came into class, holding clipboards in their hands. The second one sat down behind the desk, leaving his companion to give instructions.

"Hello class," he greeted them, giving a small smile.

"Ohayo, Iruka-sensei!" was the loud, monotonous response.

Iruka scanned the class. A small burst of pride bubbled in him as he looked at his students. Mizuki would probably call him soft, but the man couldn't help but feel a bit sad when he thought of them leaving this classroom and becoming proper nins. Shaking his heading slightly, he grinned, and continued.

"From today onwards, after you graduate, you'll be a proper ninja of the Leaf. A year from now, you may be the same rank as me. Three years later. . .ANBU perhaps?" Iruka laughed. "Well, my little speech has ended. The Genin Exams starts now!"

---

It was a horrible day for Naruto.

First, the genin exam was so simple, it would have reduced even the most sarcastic god speechless. It was pathetic. It was overrated.

It was a _Bunshin no Jutsu_, something, due to Naruto's stupid chakra chaos condition, was unable to do.

Chakra confusion chaos is like a tumour. In most cases, it kills. It rare cases, it spares the life of the afflicted. Naruto was a special case. Due to his status as the vessel of an annoying, furry fox, his chakra was overwhelmed and heavily messed up as the alien chakra of the fox tried to merge with him. This condition makes it near impossible to perform jutsus with the conventional combination of seals, as the chakra doesn't flow out accordingly, like normal people. The good thing was that since he was not born with the condition, and it was artificially inflicted on him, Naruto would not die from the chaos. Unfortunately, it makes even the simplest jutsu extremely difficult for him.

So, here he was, a ninja, trained by an egoistical, slightly manical deity, failing some _genin_ exam because he was unable to perform some _stupid Bunshin no Jutsu_, which was not even his fault in the first place.

The blond angrily kicked a stone on the floor.

Even now he could hear the cruel laughter that stung his ears when a fainted, tussled clone appeared next to him.

Iruka had merely failed him, explaining calmly and softly that one bunshin, even if it was in good condition, wasn't good enough. The rest made at least two. Mizuka, his assistant, was more callous, loudly proclaiming him as "dead-last", before calling him to learn how to walk before running.

Naruto idly wondered how it would feel like if he had grabbed Mizuka's hand and burned it off with his chakra. Sometimes, living with a deity _does _give you a strange, crazed sense of humor.

The blond looked at when he heard a loud commotion ahead.

Streams of joyful parents flowed through the gates, hugging their thrilled children. Sounds of congratulations could be heard as the adults ruffled the children's hair, promising them a good meal, or a kunai set. The younglings would laugh, and thanked their parents.

Naruto stared at them forlornly. The love of a parent was something he had long wished for. Blinking his eyes furiously, the boy whirled around and leapt away, unwilling to look at a scene he would never experience.

If he had stayed for another minute, he would have seen a short, raven-haired girl stroll into the school, greeting her blue and pink-haired friends excitedly.

---

"Narashi?! Kento Narashi?!" Haku exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah, Kento Narashi," replied Sakura, looking at her friend weirdly. They had walked across the whole village, celebrating their passing for the whole afternoon.

Hinata peered at her curiously. Haku had a confused expression as she murmured to herself, "Narashi-kun? Here? But---"

"Oi, Haku! What's going on?" inquired Sakura after softly hitting the medic nin on the head. "What, he's your old boyfriend or something?" she asked, grinning widely as Haku suddenly blushed violently.

"N-no! Nothing of that sort!" she denied furiously. Sakura just laughed.

Haku turned to Hinata with a pleading face, but even the shy Hyuuga girl was chuckling. Haku tried to look angry, but failed as she started joining the laughter as well.

Suddenly, a loud clank of the village bell startled the three girls.

"Isn't that. . .an alert?" shouted Sakura while they stood up.

"Yeah," agreed Hinata. "I w-wonder what's going o-on?"

---

Naruto walked around the forest, admiring the array of colours that splayed themselves onto the trees as they basked in the setting sunlight.

The blond had just finished his daily chakra control exercises. He had spent the earlier afternoon exploring the village.

Despite being gone for almost 8 years, the village was still the same. He had found the same ramen stall his younger self had grown to love. The chef's daughter was helping him; his hair had whitened, but the ramen was still as good, if not better.

Sighing in satisfaction as he thought of the eight bowls of ramen he had for lunch, Naruto decided to cut short his sightseeing and return to the village for a another good meal.

Without warning, a man burst out of the side bushes. He was gasping erratically as he clutched the bleeding gash on his torso. The scar on the bridge of his nose was the only thing that clued the blond in onto the stranger's identity.

"I-Iruka-sensei?" stuttered Naruto in surprise while he hurried to the injured man's side. "What the. . .who did this?!"

"I did, shrimp. Wha'cha gonna do? Hit me with a Bunshin?" snickered a familiar nasal voice.

The blond spun around, only to see a leering Mizuka, with a bloodied blade in his hand. He narrowed his eyes.

"You."

"Yeah, me. Why? Gonna beat me up?" cackled the assistant, before pointing the blade at the boy. "Come then, come get me."

"I won't even a sweat," Naruto smirked, balling his fists as he readied himself.

Iruka grabbed his arm. "N-no! Y-you're no m-match for h-him!"

Naruto shrugged his weak hold off.

"I doubt that he'll be much off a match."

Mizuka snarled when he heard the insult being flung his way. "For that, I'm gonna cut off your lips, brat!"

Then the chunnin dashed forward, swinging his sword diagonally up, towards the left. Naruto leaned to his right, letting the blade narrowly slide over him. Enraged, Mizuka twisted his body in a circle. The sword twirled around him, lashing out at the blond. The boy jumped back, before rolling behind the mad nin to avoid the second swipe. Mizuka, pushing the effects of dizziness to the back of his mind, stopped his spinning when he was facing Naruto and lunged forward, hoping to impale him. The boy simply sidestepped to his right, letting the shinobi pass him.

"Oooo, cut off my lips eh? Didn't your mother taught you not to tell lies?" he smirked, taunting the enraged ninja with his cheery tone.

The chunnin's eyes saw red. Furious, he swung wildly, slashing empty air as Naruto ducked. The man thrust left, before whipping across to his right and sweeping downwards at the legs. Naruto twisted his shoulder back at the first thrust, bending backwards on the horizontal slash, before jumping up to avoid the last attack.

Mizuka, undeterred, continued his offense. He whipped the blade upwards, kicking stray leaves up. Naruto sidestepped again, calmly letting the metal edge cutting the air in front of his face.

Mizuka spun around, bringing the sword down in a powerful blow. Naruto bent over, letting it slide past him. Then he stood up, his back straightening as he brought his palm up into the chunnin's chest when he stumbled forward. Blue chakra sizzled and burned through the vest, sending an invisible shockwave through his body and shattering almost every bone.

His eyes widened in shock. Blood dribbled out from his mouth, dripping onto the forest floor from his stilled chin.

Slowly, Mizuka dropped onto his knees, his face still in disbelief when he fell face first into the leaves.

"Hah! Sucker!" laughed Naruto, sticking his tongue at the fallen ninja.

Iruka just watched, incredulous that a boy, who could not do the _Bunshin no Jutsu_,beat his assistant without trying. Suddenly, a pain shot through his chest. The gash was throbbing, sending waves of agony through his body.

"Uh. . " he grunted.

Naruto was instantly by his side. Iruka rolled his eyes, falling backwards. The last thing he saw was a frantic "Iruka-sensei!", and the frenzied bursts of green chakra enveloping him.

---

"Ugh. . ."

Iruka opened his eyes to pain. A cold fire burned his body, swarming over his chest.

"Iruka-san!" a female voice cheerfully chirped. "You're awake!"

The groaning chunnin rolled his head to the right, only to see a blond doctor hovering over him as she took his vitals.

"Tsunade-sama?"

The woman just nodded. Abruptly, someone on his left coughed. Turning, he saw the Hokage stroking his beard while giving him a polite smile.

"H-Hokage-sama!" he stammered, surprised that the old man would visit him. "What can I do for you?"

A deep rumble filled the room as he laughed. "You defeated the traitor Mizuka, recovered the Forbbiden Scroll of Seals. . .I am just here to see how our hero is recovering."

"Mizuka?" Iruka inquired before the events of last night was registered. "Wait! I never defeated Mizuka. In fact, I would have been killed if not for that new kid---"

"Kid?" asked Sandaime innocently.

"Um, he was the new citizen. Somehow, he managed to dodge every one of Mizuka's move without trying, before stopping him with just one hit!"

"One hit?"

Even Tsunade seemed surprised.

Iruka raised his arm to scratch his head, but winced with he felt pain coursing through the limb. "Yeah. One hit."

"Amazing. . .to think he's able to channel chakra like that," murmured Tsunade absently.

"Huh?"

The woman looked up, before explaining. "The boy has chakra chaos."

"But. . .but then he should be dead!"

"He's not," answered the Hokage quietly.

"Because of this unique condition of his, Narashi is able to do things with his chakra others cannot do. For example: normal chakra cannot exist for long in open air. It dissipates quickly. This is seen in visible chakra, which puts a constant drain on one's reserve unlike invisible chakra, which is used in conjunction with seals.

"For the people with chakra chaos, a strange side effect is that the chakra stays in open air without disappearing for a much, much longer time. No one has been able to explain this, and no one has been able to study this as those afflicted die too early.

"Most people with this condition are able to channel their chakra our of their body and into others easily. But, it usually results in the deaths of the two fighters, since the channeller is unable to control the amount he projects, causing a huge backlash. So for a boy to master his chakra to such a degree is quite astounding.

"But most in any case, using his chakra alone would injure him. It's a double-edged sword," she concluded.

Iruka raised his eyebrows, before an understanding look came over his face. "No wonder he couldn't do a bunshin!"

Tsunade nodded.

"But still. . .a ninja with a medical condition is unreliable. Should he really be a genin?"

"Do you not remember Rock Lee, Maito Gai's student? I believe he has a disability, but that still does not deter him," the Hokage chided the chunnin lightly. "Have faith in the boy. Besides, don't you have a team that's short of one member?"

Iruka looked troubled, but for some strange reason, he felt that the masked boy could be trusted.

"Acknowledged Hokage-sama," he replied, giving an affirmative nod before turning to Tsunade. "By the way, how did you know about Narashi anyway? What happened after I passed out?"

"Well, the boy alerted some chunnin, giving them a story that he saw you defeated Mizuka. As for how I know him. . ."

---


	9. SILVER BELLS AND ORANGE BOOKS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Notes:** Mad chapter. Sorry for the delay, but school and warcraft3 were in the way ;p. Anyway, this chapter is my longest, because I had a sudden urge to just write madly, so. . .um, yeah. Again, thank you to all who reviewed. **Kyuubi no Tai**, check my profile. Sorry if I had offended you in any way. **Meep**, Idon'tquiteunderstand what you are saying, but this fic is set before the chunnin exam arc, so Sadaime is still alive. Tsunade is not hokage, but she is in town.

To the rest, all I have to say is that chakra chaos is not fully explained yet. Try to make your guess from this chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Nine:** _Silver Bells and Orange Books_

". . .Hatake Kakashi. My dreams are few, my hobbies are none of your concern. I like and dislike various things," he said, carelessly flicking his silver hair away.

Sakura and Sasuke raised their eyebrows. In a sentence, their new sensei managed to evade their every question, and yet answer them at the same time.

"You forgot very unpunctual," muttered Sakura under breath, crossed that their sensei had arrived three hours after the supposed time.

"You, the black-haired one," Kakashi motioned, ignoring the murmur of the kunochi.

"Uchila Sasuke. My hobbies are few, I like tomatoes, and dislike people who get in my way," he uttered, giving a pointed look at Sakura. "My dream. . .is to kill a _certain_ man."

Kakashi nodded slightly in acknowledgement, his mask and headband hiding the jounin's reaction.

Sakura stared at her crush with love struck eyes --- _HOW COOL! _her inner voice screamed --- before shaking her head and introducing herself.

"Haruno Sakura. My hobbies are research, mediation. I like my friends, like Haku and Hinata and. . .

She eyed Sasuke, who looked away with his eyes closed. A faint blush tinged his white complexion.

"I dislike bullies! My dream is to one day be a great medic-nin and, um. . ."

She stared at Sasuke again before giggling madly.

Kakashi signed. _A love struck girl and a stubborn boy. At least the girl is willing to put some effort into being a nin, or she'd be useless. Let's hope the last member is more open and hardworking. . ._

---

Sasuke growled. Not only was the _dead-last_ in his team, the guy did not even know he graduated! Now, he was standing behind his sensei and Sakura, both of them hammering loudly on Naruto's door.

His patience already at the thinniest, the dark-haired ninja was about break and unleash a Katon jutsu onto the door when it swung open.

"Eh, hello?"

A blond peeked out from behind, his hair glistening with sweat. His clear blue eyes stared questioningly at the three. Naruto was aware of their looks, especially on the bandages wrapped tightly around him. Already, his chakra was snapping free of its chains, snarling and whipping furiously while it struggled to get free.

He had to return to his mediation quickly.

"Um, can I help you?" Naruto asked politely, mentally gulping when he noticed the rising killer intent.

Sakura twitched. His hands were about to fling around the blond's neck to break it painfully when her sensei spoke out.

"Kento Narashi?" Kakashi asked, his unhidden eye lazily scanning the boy. "Iruka, on a second penning, decided to pass you. Thus, you are assigned to Team Seven, along with Haruno Sakura and Uchila Sasuke."

Naruto cocked his head sideways, as if to judge whether the jounin was joking or not. "Really? I thought I failed."

"Iruka decided that it was a erroneous decision to fail you, and has decided to promote you to a genin."

"I see. . ." Naruto answered slowly, gritting his teeth as a searing flame leapt through his veins. "Um, that's nice and all, but I'm a little busy now. Anything else?"

Kakashi was surprised and mildly curious that the blond was that excited that he graduated. Narrowing his eye, the silver-haired man noticed the slight tremble of his body and the grit of his teeth.

_Strange. . .why is he in pain? _

"Well Narashi, you need to pass a second test to officially be confirmed as a genin. The second test is in ten minutes, Training Area Four. Get changed and meet us there."

Weakly nodding, Naruto swiftly closed the door. Sliding down onto the floor, he closed his eyes. His body was ablaze with agony. His blood bubbled. Invisible needles dug deep into his skin. His bones rattled, slowly cracking and snapping.

_GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF BOY. IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND! IT'S NOT REAL! SNAP OUT OF IT YOU STUPID PANSY!_

The loud, contemptuous snarl of Kyuubi jerked Naruto out of his delirious state. Struggling to stand, the boy grabbed a short piece of wood before stumbling into the spare, empty room of his apartment.

Naruto stuffed the wood into his mouth. Clamping the pain down, he forced the trembling to stop as he arranged his fingers in seals.

_Tiger. Dragon. Fox. Tree. Flower. Grass. Rat. Cat. Dog. _

He felt his chakra explode, seeping out of the chakra holes. His teeth bit deeply into the wood as waves of white-hot pain peeled off his skin and crushed his lungs. Naruto could not breathe as the malevolent energy pressed down on him.

_Seal. . .of. . .snake! Ten-part, chakra control technique, invisible seal-type method five._

The twirling energies screamed and howled as invisible chains grabbed them, drawing them back into the prison within the blond. They clawed the ground, their misshapen talons leaving an ugly tear on the floor.

Naruto gasped as the chakra was forcibly dragged back into his veins. Laying on the ground, the blond coughed. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. Panting, the boy closed his eyes, going into a semi trance.

_Can you heal this, Kyuubi?_

_PERHAPS. BUT NOT SO QUICKLY. IT'D TAKE AT LEAST TWO HOURS._

_Kuso. _

_I SUGGEST YOU HURRY. YOU ONLY HAVE ABOUT THREE MINUTES TO GET TO THE TRAINING AREA._

Craning his head back to glance at the clock on the wall, Naruto realized the damned fox was right.

"KUSO!"

---

"GOMENASAI!"

Naruto yelled as he hurried up to his team-mates.

"I had to do something," he said sheepishly. "Gomen."

_At least he's polite, Sakura thought._

Kakashi just waved his apology away.

"Whatever. Now, let's get things started. The objective of this test is to grab these two silver bells---" the jounin said while waving the bells. "---from me. Notice that there are only two bells here. Therefore, one of you _will_ fail."

Sasuke gave a faint smile, excited to test his skills against a jounin. Sakura was less excited, but had a confident smile on her.

Naruto however, cursed his luck again.

_NOOOOOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN! I CAN'T POSSIBLY FIGHT IN THIS STATE!_

_DEAL WITH IT PANSY. NOT EVERY BATTLE WILL GO YOUR WAY._

_Stupid fox. . .shut up, grumbled the blond._

"Yo, Narashi! Aren't you supposed to be hiding and waiting for a chance to attack me?"

"Nani?" asked Naruto, whipping his head left and right only to realize his team-mates already left to hide.

_Great, what wonderful team-mates I have._

"Well, I guess I just have to defeat you by myself, EH?" smirked Naruto loudly. _Let's see how bad my condition is._

Kakashi twitched at the loud boy's arrogance. _Wonder why Iruka even promoted him. _

Suddenly, Naruto leapt forward. He slid to the front of the silver haired man, furiously kicking sand up into his face, before darting forward with several kunai between his fingers. The blond closed his eyes, using his innate sense of heat to pinpoint Kakashi. He thrust the metal knifes forward, grinning when he felt his blades being parried away.

_He's a jounin after all._

Strafing left to avoid any counter, Naruto crouched and swung his leg in a sweeping arc while flicking the kunai into the air above. A small, triumphant smile spread across Naruto's face when he heard the thud of his knives burying themselves in the truck of a log.

Suddenly, pain shot up and all over his body, forcing the blond onto his knees. Blood oozed out of his mouth, forming a single, glistening line down his chin.

_DAMNIT BRAT! YOUR BODY HASN'T RECOVERED YET AND NOW YOU GO AROUND OVER-EXERTING IT? ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!_

_Stuff it fox, I just forgot, grunted Naruto, extremely annoyed and irritated by the searing sting. Damnit, what am I gonna do now? I can't fight him this way. . ._

---

Sasuke widened his eyes when Naruto had ran at Kakashi and swiped the jounin with his kunai. Then the battle was dragged into a midst of dust, which blocked Sasuke's view of the fight. When the dust settle, the dark-haired boy smirked as he saw the blond on ground, in pain with blood dribbling out from the side of his mouth.

"Dumbass. Attacking a jounin head-on like that."

---

Kakashi panted slightly as he peeked through the leaves from his perch in the tree.

The boy was fast, any very deadly. For a genin with no battle experience whatsoever, the blond had cleverly used his surroundings to his advantage, and attacked with the intent of injuring the him.

_Interesting. . ._

Suddenly, he saw the boy drop down onto the ground, in obvious pain. Before he could do anything, Naruto already ran into the bushes.

_Strange, I didn't touch him. How could he be injured?_

---

Naruto tired leaned back against a tree, falling into a semi-meditative state. Slowly, he felt his awareness increase ten-fold. The raging maelstrom of chakra within him howled, swirling around him in angry laps. The blond did not try to tame it; instead, he channelled the power into his surroundings, sifting through the leaves and bushes. He stretched out to it, temporary calming the fierce energy with a gentle caress.

Knowing that he did not have six hours to do a complete meditative chakra control technique, Naruto called out to the shimmering energy again, whipping it into a glimmering green sea. The water washed over him, enveloping him a cool embrace, soothing the sharp ache over his body.

While he let himself be healed, Naruto kept his awareness up on the battlefield. It may have been hard, being in a trance and watching reality at the same time, but after doing it for more than six years, it was second nature.

Sasuke had attacked furiously, unleashing Katon jutsu one after another. The battlefield was scorched, blackened as Kakashi calmly ducked and dodged his punches and kicks. The jounin's actions were polished, almost liquid-like as he twisted his body left and right to avoid flying shurikens. The battle ended shortly when Kakashi suddenly disappeared and pulled the surprised boy into the ground with a _Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu_.

Sakura also tried to defeat Kakashi. Apparently, she had taken to wearing weights, improving her speed greatly when she dropped them to the ground. Using needles, she ran around the jounin, flicking them at him. Kakashi used his kunai well, deflecting some, dodging the rest. In the end, Sakura ran out of stamina, and was defeated by a genjutsu of Sasuke being pierced by the needles she had flung.

_Wow, Kakashi-sensei's sadistic._

_I THINK I LIKE HIM ALREADY._

Slowly, Naruto extracted himself from the trance. He had no time to waste.

_QUICKLY. YOU HAVE NOT FULLY TAMED THE BEAST. HURRY, OR IT WILL AWAKEN AGAIN._

Naruto nodded. Already, he could feel the chakra growling again.

_We need to work together to defeat Kakashi-sensei. Let's hope Sakura and Sasuke will understand that._

_---_

Kakashi glanced around, seemingly bored. Underneath the mask, however, he was cautious. Sasuke and Sakura were good, with great potential. In fact, Sasuke and Sakura reminded greatly of Rin and himself.

The last member, however, was an enigma. Iruka had suddenly revoked the grade, and passed him. From what he heard, the boy could not even do a simple _Bushin no Jutsu_.

Yet, when the blond had attacked him, he attacked with a power and style unheard of by Kakashi. The boy relied heavily on surprise and randomness to achieve his goals. He led Kakashi to underestimate him, before attacking straight on. He had no pattern, in fact, from what Kakashi could see, the boy forced himself to attack _without a pattern_. Everything relies on the fact that his opponent could not read or anticipate his movements.

Another strange fact was that for a minute, Kakashi had pinpointed Naruto's position from his chakra. Yet, the chakra presence suddenly enveloped _the whole area, giving the impression that Naruto was **everywhere**_.

Then, as suddenly as the chakra inflation had come, it disappeared. It was only because that Kakashi had, under the insistence of his sensei, taken meditation as an morning exercise that allowed the jounin to spot it.

The immense chakra presence had completely melded into the surroundings, mimicking that faint energies of the earth, water, trees, flowers. This time, Naruto was hidden, completely camouflaged in his surroundings.

_That boy. . .who is he, really?_

Suddenly, he felt a slight flicker of chakra behind him.

Spinning around, a kunai in his hands, Kakashi slammed it against a shuriken, deflecting the projectile. Sliding another kunai into his palm, the jounin brought it up, blocking another shuriken.

"Narashi."

The blond did not reply. His eyes were closed, his fingers were in a strange position. _A seal?_ he wondered.

Suddenly, the boy was off, running furiously around him. Kakashi could match up in speed, circling cautiously as he tried to discern the jutsu Naruto was forming.

_Dragon, dog, rat, wait, what's that? Hmm, more unfamiliar seals. What is he doing?_

Suddenly, a small black cloud gathered above Naruto, pouring a huge amount of rain onto the blond. Then, the cloud disappeared, leaving a wet smirking blond.

"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei."

Suddenly, the boy leapt forward again, twirling his hands in strange formations while he ducked, dodged and twisted his way around Kakashi's attacks.

Pleasantly surprised, Kakashi grinned under his mask, stepping up his speed. Naruto, realizing his sensei was getting a tad more serious, smirked in excitement.

_Come, sensei._

Testing his seals, he quickly experimented with the seals, checking which seal drew chakra in a particular type. Finally, he perfected the seal formation. He had, in his meditation, picked up Kakashi's Doton Jutsu. Although it was dangerous to experiment in battle, it was part of strategy to confuse his enemy.

"Yo, sensei, remember this?"

Kakashi widened his eyes when his student suddenly disappeared with a soft murmur of _"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu"_.

Then, Naruto was behind him. Mud slapped on his vest as Kakashi sidestepped the attack. But Naruto, who was covered in mud, skidded on the sand, kicking against the ground and launching himself at Kakashi. Silently, Naruto freed some of his chakra. It had snapped and snarled, lashing out furiously at Kakashi's chakra, temporary messing it up, causing the jounin to be unable to do a _Kawarimi no Jutsu_.

Kakashi tried to dodge, but Naruto grabbed his vest, pulling the jounin towards himself. He latched his mud-covered body on his sensei anchoring him on the spot.

"NOW!"

Sasuke suddenly leapt out of a tree, his hands already ending off a jutsu. Cupping his hands over his mouth, Sasuke yelled "_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!", before unleashing a fury storm of fire. _

It was all that Kakashi heard before the huge fire engulfed him.

Dizzily, he felt a genjutsu being lifted off him and the bells pried from his vest. It was then when he realized the genjutsu was a simple _Ishiki Mumikansou dulled senses which, although slowed one's senses and reactions, but was extremely easy to dispel. Yet, considering Naruto had attacked him head-on, he was focused on the blond, causing him to let the genjutsu go unnoticed._

Lifting himself up from the ground, he staggered into a sitting position. The noon sun shone brightly on the training grounds. Sasuke was faintly blushing as he held a dead-tired looking Sakura up. Naruto was sitting, scraping off the baked mud that protected him from the flames.

Smiling cheerfully, Kakashi passed the his first genin team.

"Congratulations. You three, PASS! Hmm, how about I treat you to a meal?"

Naruto grinned, trying hard to conceal his pain. It was growing worse and worse by the second.

"Look guys, I'm, err, not feeling well. I think I better rest at home. See you tomorrow!" he croaked, before dashing home.

His team-mates raised their eyebrows, but shrugged it off. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

---

The blond staggered into his spare room, kicking the door close. Soon, his skin cracked while his bones rattle. His chakra rose, clawing its way out of Naruto, shaking furiously against its binds. Long, bleeding gashes split his skin open. Dozens of glimmering yellow eyes glared at the boy.

_Meditative control stance, level six. Chakra control seal, release._

Closing his eyes, Naruto felt the world slip away, falling into a deep, inky, darkness. The chains on chakra shattered. Pain echoed in the abyss, but it was dulled. The howls of the angry sea throbbed painfully in his ears, but he ignored it. He stretched his hands out, seeking to calm the churning water.

_Sooth it, not control it. Sing to it, for you can never befriend it. Calm it, for its rage will destroy you._

Remembering Iikagen's words well, the boy sat in the middle, singing to the rampant, violent energy that circled him. It twisted and shrieked, slamming against the wall while slashing the concrete. It howled, biting deep into the blond's body, leaving a multitude of cuts and wounds on his skin. Dust swirled around the room as the chakra, in the form of a large dog, savagely attacked the walls. Plaster and bits of bricks were chipped off.

It leapt at Naruto, shredding his shirt and tearing his skin. Blood flowed onto the ground, forming a red pool and trembled and quailed under the immense power.

Slowly, the dog quietened, circling the sitting boy. Its yellow, bloodshot eyes stared unblinking at the boy, before shimmering out of existence with a whispery snarl.

The evening rays shone through the broken window, onto Naruto as he slumped to the floor into his blood. His gashes slowly closed, forming a scar, which already started to fade.

---


	10. PERSPECTIVES

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.  
**Notes:** Hah! Thought I was late? Well, worry not, for I have two chapters here for you today! I'm in a rush right now, so all I have to say is that please, don;'t hastily jump to conclusions about chakra chaos. This interlude is to help explain some stuff. If you're still confused, then I'll just have to write an explanation in the 11th chapter. Enjoy!  
**Edit:** Gah, apparently messed up my story format. Curse it! Here's a second upload.  
**Edit2:** I can;t get Chapter Ten to upload right. Fuck. So sorry for the lack of punctuation in the next chapter.

* * *

**Interlude I:** _Perspectives._

The blood was still, shimmering in the orange sunset. The boy was unconscious, his eyelids closed while he silently laid on the battered floor. The wind ruffled his torn clothes, sliding over various fading cuts and scars.

Iikagen dipped his finger into the blood, admiring the small ripples that danced across the puddle. The red liquid quivered, gently lapping at the god's finger. A faint growl of the slumbering chakra echoed in his ears.

"Iikagen."

The immortal teen twisted his head back slightly, his left eye glancing at the speaker.

She sat cross-legged behind him. Her silver hair was wild, fluttering messily on the tails of the evening breeze. Her teal eyes stared back, twinkling with mirth and amusement. She wore a simple white apparel with two glittering silver bracelets. She wore a cocky, almost fox-like simper across her young face.

"Gingitsune."

"Aww, so cold. . .no love for me?"

Iikagen rolled his eyes, but a small smile tugged his lips. He lifted his finger, softly shaking the dripping blood off.

"What are you doing here?" the god asked.

The goddess shrugged, her gaze flickering to the sleeping blond.

"You care for him," she stated neutrally, with a hint of curiosity.

"Perhaps I do."

"Then why do you not heal him? He is injured. He is crippled," she asked. "You can heal him."

"I do. So?"

Gingitsune frowned, sticking her tongue out at the god's flippant answers. Unfolding her legs, she stood up and walked to the side of the boy. Iikagen raised his eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

The silver-haired goddess said nothing as she crouched down and slowly ran her hand through Naruto's hair.

Iikagen sighed.

"I cannot heal him. The chaos of the chakra is built upon his past nightmares and traumas, things which only Naruto himself can heal."

Gingitsune snorted. "Hah! When has that stopped you? You are a god! You can do almost anything!"

"Everything actually. I can do everything, that's why I'm awesome," Iikagen corrected with a straight face.

The goddess stuck her tongue out at him again, bringing a small laughter from Iikagen's lips.

Gingitsune looked down. Her hand snaked across his chest, parting the shredded shirt to trace the blackened scar of a cross, watching quietly as it refused to fade.

"Iikagen. . ." she murmured. "Can you stand to see him in such pain?"

The golden-eyed teen looked cheerlessly at Naruto's broken body.

"No. . .but it is the only way. I have already helped him greatly. The rest is up to him to do it. His pain, his past. . .they are his trials. He must overcome them alone."

Gingitsune nodded. Slowly, she leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on the boy's forehead, silently wishing him luck before she stood up.

"You like him, don't you?" Iikagen asked.

Gingitsune glanced at the slumbering boy, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"If you're his brother, then I'm his sister-in-law, remember?" she said with a light flourish and a small grin. "I guess it's my duty to care."

Iikagen chuckled.

"Whatever, Gingitsune," he said, wrapping a hand around her. He looked at the purple sky. "It's getting late. We should return."

Gingitsune nodded imperceptibly, her sad eyes never leaving Naruto.

The deities disappeared. The sun crept away, inching back into its mountainous retreat, leaving a dark, musty shadow to cover the room.

The blood was still, shimmering like glass.

-

Naruto stirred. Grunting, he shifted up, pushing himself with his hands. A splitting headache cracked his head in two.

BRAT. YOU ALRIGHT?

Ugh. What do you think?

Naruto shook his head gently as he staggered to his feet. A shot of pain stabbed his legs, but the blond ignored it, gritting his teeth as he shoved his trembling body towards the bathroom.

Stumbling into the bathroom, he leaned against the wall under the showerhead before twisting the tap.

Waves of cold, icy water splashed down onto him. Flakes of dried blood dissolved in the flowing liquid, running down in little red rivulets, into the drain.

Sliding down against the wall, Naruto sat under the shower, pulling up his sleeves to see the faint scars and marks. Pain brushed him when his fingers touched the cuts, causing Naruto to flinch slightly. He hissed.

Why did it. . .?

DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK, WHEN YOU KNOW THE ANSWER?

Damn fox! Can't you let someone think in peace!

HN. KID, YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT THE REASON FOR THE CHAKRA TO REACTED SO EXPLOSIVELY IS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET OVER YOUR STUPID TRAUMA! Kyuubi snarled.

Fuck off, fox, what the hell do you know! Naruto snapped back, an low growl emanating from his mouth.

STUPID HUMAN! HOW MANY MORE TIMES MUST I HEAL YOU FROM NEAR-DEATH BEFORE YOU FUCKING SEE IT!

Then don't heal me, damnit! the blond scowled, his anger getting hold of him for a second. _I don't need your fucking hel- _

SILENCE! the fox roared._ LISTEN UP, BRAT. ON THAT NIGHT, WHEN YOU HEARD THE SNAPPING OF MIZUKA'S BONES, YOU REMEMBERED THE TIME WHEN YOUR OWN LEGS WERE BROKEN. WHEN YOU SAW THE BLOOD ON IRUKA, YOU NEARLY PASSED OUT, DUE TO YOUR FUCKING HEMOPHOBIA. DO I HAVE TO CONTINUE?_

the blond scowled, his anger getting hold of him for a second. the fox roared. 

Naruto shut his eyes, futilely trying to block Kyuubi's angry louds out.

GROW UP KID. YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER. YOU CAN'T DELAY THE INEVITABLE. DO YOU NOT REMEMBER IIKAGEN'S WORDS? DO YOU NOT SEE HIM AS YOUR BROTHER? HE WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, HUMAN.

Tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks, washed together with the flowing water of the shower.

FACE YOUR FEARS AND BEAT THEM, NARUTO. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. MY FAITH IN YOU, VESSEL, IS STRONG. DO NOT LET ME DOWN. YOU ARE THE MORTAL-BROTHER OF IIKAGEN. LIVE UP TO THAT TITLE.

Kyuubi. . .

. . .thank you.

-

Haku giggled at her pink-haired friend's loud shouts about her unpunctual and perverted sensei.

"_-COME COME PARADISE! WHAT KIND OF TEACHER READS THAT IN FRONT OF STUDENTS! NOT ONLY THAT, HE CAME SO LATE FOR OUR FIRST MEETING! WHAT KIND OF FIRST IMPRESSION IS THAT! AND-_"

Haku could not contain her laughter anymore, as she broke out in a loud fit of hilarity, giggling madly.

Sakura paused mid-rant, turning to face her chuckling friend. "Oi!"

Haku just stuck her tongue out at her. Sakura looked annoyed, but her mouth was soon tugged into a small smile.

"How about your team-mates? How are they?" asked Haku curiously, wondering about Narashi.

"Well, Sasuke-kun is cooler than I thought! Well, at least now I have more time with him!" Sakura said, her eyes suddenly becoming distant and dazed.

Haku rolled her eyes.

"As for Narashi. . .well, I don't know. He is a good strategist, since he made that plan for taking down Kakashi-sensei almost by himself. Still, it was kinda weird of how he just disappeared right after the training," continued Sakura. "Hey, you know Narashi, right?"

"Well, I guess so. He doesn't know I'm in the village, right?"

"I don't think so. He didn't mention it to me or anything," Sakura replied. "Why, you wanna meet him or something?" she said coyly.

"No!" Haku hissed.

Sakura merely grinned.

"Hmm. . .hey, why not I bring Naruto to training tomorrow? Then you can catch up with him and stuff."

Haku raised an eyebrow in surprise, before giving a small smile. "That'd be nice."

"Hah! I knew you liked him!"

-


	11. 64 HANDS, BORROWER OF BLOODLINES

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.  
**Notes:** The match you've never expected! Neji VS Naruto! BTW, please give comments on the fight description. Anything to improve on, that sort of thing. Thanks. Enjoy this fight! Any questions, I'll try to clear in the next chap!  
**Edit:** Gah, messed up my story format. Curse it! Here's a second upload. BTW, just so you know, Naruto doesn't have any special abilities for the fight. Everything he does is but an illusion, which he masterfully weaves.  
**Edit2:** Fuck FF. I spent a few hours re-uploading this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Ten:** _64 hands, Borrower of Bloodlines._

Naruto hurried to the bridge, frantically cramming his mouth full with ramen from a cup. His long, white coat trailed behind him. Twirling his chopsticks, Naruto grabbed a single noodle strand that had dropped out in midair, before putting it into his mouth.

He looked up, his mouth bulging, to see Sakura with a weird, semi-disgusted look on her face. The blond swallowed his noodles, before grinning sheepishly and bowing his head deeply.

"Gomen-nasai!"

Sakura smiled at the strange boy's politeness.

"Don't worry. You're not really late."

"Huh? I'm not?" wondered Naruto, before whirling his head around to find his sensei and his other team-mate. "Wait, where's Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, since you had left so early yesterday, you didn't heard Kakashi-sensei's notice. Apparently, we still need to get ourselves registered as genins, so missions only start tomorrow. So today is just a day for us to prepare ourselves," explained the pink-haired kunochi.

"Ah," said Naruto dumbly. "So. . .I choked on my ramen twice for nothing?"

Sakura laughed. "You could say that, I guess."

Naruto grinned. "So, what are you gonna do today?"

"Well, I'm meeting my friends for some training. Wanna come?"

"Eh, I'm not interrupting anything, right?" asked Naruto hesitantly.

"No, 'course not!" waved Sakura, before dragging the boy along to the training spot. "By the way, nice coat!"

-

Haku stopped the Hyuuga's touch, deflecting the hit with her arm. A jolt of pain stabbed her, but soon ebbed into a less sever sting.

Behind her, Hinata was already on the ground, coughing furiously. Blood trickled from her nose and blood. Her white teeth were smeared in a sickly red. The girl tried to stand, but her shaky knees were unable to withstand her weight, and she fell again.

Haku glared at Hyuuga Neji, whose face was unreadable as his pupil-less eyes surveyed the situation. Behind him, the Hyuuga's team-mates, Tenten and Lee stared on worriedly.

"She is your cousin! What the hell were you thinking! You could have killed her!"

Neji gave a small, dark chuckle. "She challenged me first. I merely fought back."

"Why you. . ." Haku growled, her fist balling up.

"Haku!"

Haku turned around to see Sakura hurrying up to them, a horrified expression on her face when she saw the broken figure of Hinata, and the fact that Hyuuga Neji was near her.

Hinata coughed again, this time spitting blood over the sand. Her hands weakly clutched her chest as the Hyuuga heir doubled over in pain.

"Hinata!" cried Haku. The medic-nin was immediately by her side, lifting her into her sitting position. Her hands were bathed in a deep, emerald green. Haku gently touched her friend's chest while whispering desperately, "Don't fall asleep, Hinata!"

"Weak. . ." murmured Neji.

Sakura crouched beside her friends, after sending a dark glare towards the smirking Hyuuga.

"How is she?"

"Not good. Her tenketsu (chakra points) are tightly sealed. I can't get them open!" Haku said, her voice unnaturally calm. "We need to get her to the hospital!"

"H-hai!" stammered Sakura.

"I'll help, Haku-chan."

Haku whirled around, only to see a clear sky-blue pair of eyes staring back at her. His pale yellow hair was a mess of lazily swept hair. His mask was still as black as ever, hiding the lower part of his face.

"N-Narashi?"

A faint outline of a smile peeked through the thick veil. Naruto went to Sakura's side, shifting the Hyuuga heir's weight into his arms. The blond lifted the body almost effortlessly. He took a few steps to steady himself. Looking at the expressionless Hyuuga Neji, Naruto cocked his head in curiosity.

"I've heard about the Hyuuga, about the two houses within the clan. About how the main house usually abused their control over the branch house.

"Yet now, if an outsider with no knowledge of the prospective heir of the Hyuuga were to stumble here, the person would most likely mistake you for the heir of the main house, while this girl as one of the branch servants, would they not?" the boy said softly, a tinge of amusement in his voice before leaping off towards the hospital.

Neji was left speechless, a strange ache throbbing in him, as if his soul were stabbed, while the two girls followed the blond.

Who is he. . .

-

Haku paced to and fro, occasionally glancing at the closed door.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine."

The girl turned to see Naruto with his reassuring blue eyes.

"But, I was the one who encouraged her to fight! If anything happens to her," Haku trailed off, her voice slightly hysterical. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself!"

"Hn. The Hyuuga is strong, because she has you as her friend to count on. Do not worry, for she will pull through it," said Naruto.

At this, Sakura chimed in, her voice low and cracked from crying. "Y-yeah. Hinata will pull through!"

Haku gave a small smile, but it disappeared when she looked at the white doors of the operation room.

"So. . .um, Haku, when did you get here?"

"A year ago, during the demon attack on Konoha. I saved Sakura here and thus became friends with her. Soon, we befriended Hinata as well," she answered distractedly.

"Ah, I see," Naruto replied.

Seeing the two girls seemingly down, he decided to try and cheer them up. "So, hey, since I'm new here, why not I treat you guys to dinner? Don't worry about Hinata, I'm sure she'll be fine, considering Tsunade's the one operating on her."

Haku gave a faint grin. "Ok," she said, her voice soft and worried.

Sakura waved her head. "Sorry, I have a family gathering tonight. Can't make it."

"Eh, oh well, another time then."

The atmosphere soon descended into an awkward silence. Naruto, feeling out of place, left the hospital to fetch some medical herbs from his house.

-

"Neji-san! That was uncalled for!" cried Lee. Tenten nodded furiously.

The Hyuuga merely stared at his team-mates.

"She is your cousin after all!" Lee said. "You should not have attacked her so brutally!"

Neji turned away, and starting practicing his kicks on a tree.

"I never thought you were this heartless, Neji-kun. . ." murmured Tenten softly. "C'mon Lee, let's go."

Neji continued to kick the unmoving tree, ignoring his team-mates as they walked away.

"Hmm. . .team problems, Hyuuga-san?"

Neji whirled around, mentally cursing himself for not detecting the stranger earlier. His Byakugan was activated. Chakra coursed through his veins, forming a intricate and menacing web around his eyes.

Naruto sat on a thick branch, above the annoyed Hyuuga, twirling a kunai on his finger lazily.

"You again," Neji said, his voice flat and unwelcoming. "Who are you?"

"I am a nobody, but you may call me Narashi. Kento Narashi."

Neji narrowed his pupil-less eyes. Recognition spread across his face.

"The last of the genins who graduated this year," he sneered.

Naruto merely smiled. "I'm honoured that you know me, Son of Hizashi, Hyuuga Neji."

Neji growled. "You know my father's name. You know the identity of the Hyuuga heir. And you know my name. Yet you are an outsider. . ."

"You can say I know everything about the Hyuuga clan because my interests lies in studying Advanced Bloodlines," chuckled Naruto. "An interesting power, don't you think?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Hn. Whatever it is, Kento Narashi, I request that you leave. I am currently training."

Naurto faked a hurt expression. "Don't you like me, Hyuuga-san?" he drawled, clutching his chest in mock pain.

The Hyuuga turned away coldly, focusing his attention to kicking and punching the tree.

"Ignoring me, Hyuuga-san?" chuckled the blond as he leapt down from the tree. "You know, I heard that the Hyuuga's Jyuken (Gentle Fist Technique) is a formidable attack and beats all other known forms of Taijutsu stances."

Neji paused, his head tilted slightly towards Naruto.

"I challenge you, Hyuuga-san. I wish to feel the power of the Jyuken."

Neji smirked. "You dare challenge me? Have you not seen the power inflicted on Hinata-sama already? Do you wish to die, dead-last?"

"Perhaps I do, Hyuuga-san," grinned the blond.

Neji turned to face him, before settling into a stance. His right arm was stretched outwards, palm facing up while his left was arc over his head, poised to strike.

"It is your destiny to lose. Why do you challenge me, when you know you will lose?"

Naruto smirked. "Destiny is just a term coined by ignorant people to explain the losses they do not wish to accept."

A slight scowl appeared on Neji's face. "You know nothing, Kento Narashi. You will lose."

Naruto did not reply.

Suddenly, the blond disappeared. Several kunai sliced through the air, stabbing the soft mud next to Neji when the Hyuuga sidestepped them. The white-eyed boy ducked low, dodging more shurikens, before leaping to his right. He thrust front, jabbing his fingers forward toward the blur of Naruto. The blond twisted, forcing his shoulder backwards to avoid the painful touch of the Hyuuga.

Inconspicuously, Naruto folded his middle and fourth finger back, loosely pressed down by his thumb, forming a "rabbit finger". Slowly, he slipped his hand behind.

Meditative Battle Stance, Level 3.

His eyes hardened. His pupils were blanked out, fading into an expressionless, dull hue of greyish-blue. Naruto felt his muscles throbbing with energy; felt the way the wind breeze through the leafs and whip around him. His senses multiplied tenfold.

He dodged Neji's first jab and twisted sideways to avoid the second. The fingers of the Hyuuga brushed faintly against his shirt. Naruto felt the annoyance of the Hyuuga through his enhanced empathy and mentally smirked.

Focusing a controlled surge of chakra into his fingertips, the blond slowly shaped a small orb of tightly spinning chakra in-between his thumb and his two fingers. Ducking low, he lashed out at Neji with a sweeping kick, forcing the Hyuuga to jump.

Quickly, Naruto retracted his leg, before pushing forcibly against the ground to propel himself forward, behind Neji. With a subtle flick, the chakra projectile was flung into the pupil-less boy, smashing into his jacket with an explosive force.

The Hyuuga, unable to dodge in mid-air, was slammed to the ground. A small trickle of blood rolled down from the corner of his mouth

He forced me to jump so that he could hit me with that projectile and I wouldn't be able to dodge. Clever of him. . .

Naruto grinned, before rushing forward again. Slipping two kunai into his palms, Naruto swivelled left and right, thrusting them at his opponent. Neji kicked himself back, bending low to avoid a second slash before lunging forward, his hands dangerously sharp and humming with chakra.

"_Kawarimi no Jutsu._"

A log was smashed out of the way. The Hyuuga growled, irritated that the "dead-last" was stronger then anticipated.

To the left!

Neji kicked himself backwards, inwardly relieved as three shurikens buried themselves in his previous position. His Byakugen scanned the area, and noticed _four_ Narutos leaping around him, flinging kunais, shurikens, and the strange chakra orbs.

What that! Impossible! Solid clones. . .damnit! To force me to use this. . .

Neji felt his chakra pouring out of his opening points. The sand was crunched under his feet as he started spinning.

"_Kaiten!_"

Naruto widened his eyes as his weapons were flung away by a devastating whirlwind of chakra.

He leaks chakra out from his chakra holes, before spinning wildly so that the leaked chakra would form an impenetrable wall that protects him from all projectiles. Impressive.

Then the blond smirked as he noticed something.

Wait. . .that layout. . .he just helped me advance my attack! Hahaha, I must thank him.

The four blonds looked at each other, before leaping forward.

"_Kaiten!_"

Three clones were destroyed, and Naruto was flung back. A feral grin was spread on his face as his eyes glinted with excitement.

"Interesting move, Hyuuga-san. But, can you keep it up?"

Then Naruto disappeared into the ground with a _Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu_.

Neji frowned, before focusing his eyes deep into the ground, but he saw no sign of Naruto.

To the right!

The Hyuuga whirled around while strafing, dodging a flurry of shuriken. His eyes widened as ten Narutos burst out of the bushes, each flinging shurikens.

The shuriken flickered - for a second, they disappeared - before reappearing as twelve more for every one shuriken.

"_Kaiten!_"

More kunais sliced through the air, multiplying into hundreds.

"_Kaiten!_"

The ground was littered with broken missiles as Neji stood there, his eyes closed but still seeing as he caught his breath.

The ten Narutos patiently waited for Neji to open his eyes again.

"Jyuken. An elegant and beautiful dance of pain," said one Naruto.

A second Naruto followed up. "But can it beat our **_Utsurigi Kazoekirenai, Hyuuga-san?"_**

, Hyuuga-san?" 

Then they disappeared. Neji narrowed his eyes, when suddenly, Naruto appeared to his left, his hands ablaze with a shimmering blue chakra. The boy swiped at Neji, nearly burning his coat off. Spinning, Neji slid to the slid of Naruto, before pushing his palm outwards, ready to blast a painfully surge of chakra into the boy's body.

But his palm only came into contact with the cold surface of a kunai.

What!

Neji hissed when his oppenent suddenly appeared behind him, lunging forward. The Hyuuga ducked, swinging his torso outwards in a circle. He slammed his hands to the ground, using them as support when he kicked upwards into Naruto.

His feet smashed a shuriken.

What! No. . .I see! He uses Kawarimi no Jutsu to teleport himself around me. . .what a guy. . .

The Hyuuga jumped to his feet, his hands coated with chakra as he blocked a punch from above. He could feel the heat lapping at his fingers, despite the chakra shield.

Suddenly, another flurry of punches was launched at him from the right. Neji pushed hard against the first Naruto, sending himself backwards, narrowly evading the attack of the second clone.

Kuso! His clones!

A flurry of murmurs echoed irksomely in his mind as more Narutos teleported around him. They ducked low, beneath his hands to punch his chest.

"_Kaiten!_"

A thick, slightly pinkish smoke enveloped Neji. He closed his eyes to protect it from the stinging fog while cautiously scanning his surroundings. Out of the blue, ten Narutos leapt from the ground around him, lashing out at Neji with their flaming fists, before bending low and kicking sweepingly at his legs.

The Hyuuga was forced to jump upwards into the air. Kunais flew past him, barely missing him. Neji hissed as a pain streaked across his face. The cold metal of the kunai whipped past him, barely missing him. Thinking the danger was over, the pupil-less boy widened his eyes in shock when the kunai exploded in a thin smoke that quickly cleared to reveal several smirking Naruto clones.

They started twirling their fingers, twisting them in various shapes while time seemed to pause.

Tiger. Horse. Dragon. Wait what's that? Neji frowned inwardly at the last familiar seal. _That combination makes no sense._

Neji frowned inwardly at the last familiar seal. 

Then all the clones cupped their hands around their mouths.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_" they whispered darkly, before unleashing a blazing stream of hot, searing flames.

Kuso!

The fires collided in a massive conflagration, destroying the four clones in the air. The acrid scent of sulphur filled the air.

The Narutos looked up, a mask of confusion on their faces when only a blackened shuriken remained.

Kawarimi! He used Kawarimi!

"Oh fu-" said one Naruto as he turned around, only to see Neji smirking at him.

"_Kaiten!_"

Four clones exploded in smoke. The rest of the clones leapt towards the Hyuuga, their mouths mouth curled in a maniacal grin while their bodies was bathed in a mystical blue flame. They swiped at him, but their hands only shredded a hapless shuriken to pieces.

"_Kaiten!_"

Chakra stabbed into them, spreading through them in web-like formations, before tearing the surprised clones apart. The remaining three whirled around, their fist poised to strike when Neji flickered into thin air again.

"Arg-"

Pink smoke exploded outwards, wrapping around the last two Narutos. They narrowed their eyes, coughing behind. Suddenly, a kunai buried itself in a Naruto's neck, while chakra ripped the last to smoky bits.

Heh. . .

The dust cleared and settled, leaving a smirking Neji standing with bits of shuriken and kunai littered around him.

"I've beaten your clones, Kento. What are you going to do now?"

Naruto leapt down from the tree, his arms folded calmly as he stared at the panting Hyuuga with a small, knowing smirk on his face.

"Do you know why many jounins don't use Kawarimi like that, Hyuuga-san?"

Suddenly, a immense searing pain rushed through his nerves. Neji grunted, in shock and surprise as his body failed to work. His knees collapsed inwards, causing him to stumble to the ground.

"Wha-" he croaked, before coughing violently. Blood streaked across his white jacket.

His Byakugan faded, leaving him with a limited vision, with was slowly stained red. He blinked furiously, feeling wet droplets run freely down his face. He tried to stand up by pushing himself off the ground with his hands, but his strength seemed to disappeared, leaving him to fall to the ground again.

He wiped his face with his sleeve jacket, pulling it away bloody. _Blood? I'm crying blood!_

"Do you see why now? Excessive use of _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ causes sever pain within your body, since you are forced to move at such incredible speed. Although the pain fades away with time, and causes no lasting damage, it already weakens you too much in battle, such that an enemy can easily kill you with little resistance."

Neji cursed. _That blond! How dare he! I am a Hyuuga! I will not lose to such a loser!_

Unsteadily, Neji slowly stood up. His legs were shaky, but the boy could already feel his strength returning. Chakra poured into his eyes, re-activating his Byakugan.

The Hyuuga smirked. "I never thought I would use this today, Kento, but you have forced me to. Now, you shall see the true power of a Hyuuga!"

What the fuck? wondered Naruto when the pupil-less boy disappeared. _Where did that speed come from! And why can't I detect his chakra?_

wondered Naruto when the pupil-less boy disappeared. 

Suddenly, a soft, hissed whisper drifted, almost menacingly, into his ears.

"**_Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou _**(Hand of the Eight Divinations: Sixty-four Palms)"

Oh crap.

Agony slit through his veins, knifing through his skin wickedly. His chakra snarled, whirling around in furious circles as more of his tenketsu were forcibly being closed. It howled, its wrath seething through the opening points as wild, raging tendrils.

". . ._two hands_. . ."

". . ._four hands. _. ."

". . ._eight hands_. . ."

". . ._sixteen hands. _. ."

". . ._thirty-two hands_!"

Naruto was slammed backwards, into the tree behind. Blood dribbled out from the corner of his mouth.

Neji stumbled backwards, nearly falling to the ground, but still managed to continue standing.

"Do feel that pain now, Kento? That is my power, power which you cannot match. You may have advanced clones and special chakra techniques, but in the end, you will still be on your knees, before a might that you can never conquer. You are destined to lose, Kento," sneered the Hyuuga. "I have one last kunai. One flick, and you die. Do you yield, Kento Narashi?"

Naruto ignored the pupil-less boy as he slowly clambered back to his feet. His blond bangs, shaken loose from his headband in the attack, hung over his eyes, casting a dark shadow on them.

"What an interesting attack, Hyuuga-san. The _Hakkeshou_! What devastating power it has! To seal off a person's chakra in a matter of seconds and thus cause him an extreme amount of pain. . ." the blond chuckled darkly. "What a magnificent dance it was!"

Neji stood, unmoving as he cautiously eyes his opponent.

. . ."Usually, a Henge requires the combination of a Chicken, a Rat, and a Horse seal to use it. But since you have Chakra chaos, you cannot use such signs.". . .

Then Naruto raised his hands. His third and fourth finger were pressed hard against his palm, while the other two fingers were upright, crisscrossing each other to form a short cross.

Fox seal.

"Have you ever wondered what colour would your eyes be if you weren't a Hyuuga?"

. . ."Fox and shadow seal. The Fox seal doesn't look like a fox, unlike its animal counterparts, for it is a prankster and a trickster by heart, and thus never usually reveals its true form until the crucial moment. That helps contribute to the Henge no Jutsu.". . .

Naruto shifted his hands, crossing his thumbs, and splaying his fingers away from his palms

Shadow seal.

"It is useless to think about such things. Destiny has forced us on a path. We cannot stop it."

"Why do you constrict your life to Destiny?" murmured Naruto.

. . ."Shadow seal. It looks like that as it has no definite shape, only mimicking others. It hides the truth, shields the lies. It is mysterious, and will help you in the Art of Transformation.". . .

"Destiny. Fate. Hn. The moment I was born, I was destined to be a slave to the Main House. Even though I have surpassed them, I will always be below them," Neji snapped harshly, with an undertone of hatred.

"Destiny rules our lives. Everything is pre-written, everything is predicted. People are born into an unchangeable flow. You will lose to me, Kento Narashi, like how I will never be free from the Hyuuga's Curse Seal."

"Destiny, fate. Large words for petty hatreds," intoned Naruto with a tinge amusement. "You have beautiful eyes Hyuuga-san. . ."

Meditative Stance, level 5. Pain suppression technique, activate!

Naruto whipped his head up, reveal a pair of pupil-less eyes, glowing almost eerily as a tangled network of throbbing veins circled them. Neji gasped, lowering his kunai in shock as he took a step back.

" . .may I borrow them?"

"Wha-" _He has the Byakugan! Impossible!_

The sand was kicked up as Naruto suddenly vanished. Neji spun around, his eyes wide as he saw a long orange blur circling him. Flickers of chakra were weaved around the tangerine streak.

"My chakra. . .it cannot be chained, Hyuuga-san. What would you do now?" a dark laugh echoed around him.

There!

Neji thrust forth, aiming for the orange blur. His hands stabbed into empty air, before being slapped back. Blue fire seared his skin, burning his bandages of.

Neji hissed in pain.

"You are within my Field of Hakkeshou, Hyuuga-san. . ."

What! No. . .it's impossible! The Hakkeshou. . .

"ARH!"

Invisible needles stabbed his body. His jacket was charred, and burned to withering pieces. Pain blanketed him.

". . ._two hands_. . ."

He felt his chakra being pushed back, and sealed behind a wall.

". . ._four hands. _. ."

Terror filled his mind as agony embraced him, digging its poisonous claws into his chest.

". . ._eight hands_. . ."

He felt the foreign chakra of Naruto forcing it, snarling furious while it rushed through his body, tearing the insides out.

". . ._sixteen hands. _. ."

Neji felt his consciousness fading. Blood covered his teeth, oozing out from his broken lips in copious amounts.

". . ._thirty-two hands_!"

The Hyuuga was smashed backwards, falling to the hard soil in defeat.

He. . .impossible. . .

Neji opened his eyes blearily, only to stare at a blurred image of a panting Naruto.

"Destiny. Fate. Hn. They are but words, Hyuuga-san. The Hyuuga's destiny of hatred has enveloped the earlier generations of your family," he gasped, slowly catching his breath. "Yet, but hating Hinata-san for something she had no power over. . .you are already immersing yourself in that Destiny of Hatred. To push your team-mates away because they questioned your actions. . .that is Hatred."

Neji closed his eyes.

"You don't understand the pain of having a seal burned on yourself, a seal of burden that cannot be removed, Kento Narashi!" the Hyuuga finally whispered, his voice sharp and cutting.

Naruto gave a small, sad, smile. "Yeah. I do. So what?" The blond crouched, bending near the fallen boy.

"Don't blame Fate and Destiny, or the rest of the world just because of a seal. It is a weak and pitiful excuse," he said. "Quit whining, Hyuuga-san. Your path may be already set down for you, but do you truly know what is that path, Neji-san? If you succumb to the word 'Destiny', a word with no specific definition. . .then you are already a slave, Neji-san. A slave to your own emotions, a slave to yourself."

The boy stood up, but not before leaving a small, shimmering green vial in front of Neji.

"That is a healing vial. Just drink it with water and you'll be fine," Naruto said as he limped away.

Neji looked at the green liquid, slowly swirling in the vial. Gingering, he gripped it, pulling the cap open and gulping it down.

As he faded away into an inky darkness, Neji heard the worried shouts of his team-mates.

Kento Narashi. . .


	12. A LULL, A PAUSE, A STILLNESS IN TIME

**A Naruto Fanfiction  
Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.  
**Notes:** I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for the lateness. I had an extremely bad case of writer's block over the past weeks, coupled with the fact that my stupid school is giving more and more tests > I'm** really, really** sorry. Anyway, thanks for all the _**wonderful**_ reviews. You guys made my day!Thank you very much! YOU GUYS ROCK!

Oh, and I've lowered the rating. And I have started re-writing the earlier chappies for more details.

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eleven: A lull, a pause, a stillness in time.**

The moon was a beautiful circle, alit with a white, silvery glow as it looked down onto the village of the Leaf.

Haku sat atop the still stone monuments, oblivious to vivid lights dancing below her. Her hazel eyes focused on the small scrap that fluttered slightly in her hand.

A sigh escaped through her mouth. Her sensei had silently slipped the paper (which had Narashi's address written on it) into her hand, before walking away with a knowing smile.

Haku looked up, facing the loud bustle of with a air of slight annoyance.

Baka sensei! As if I really wanted, really **needed** to see Narashi! I'm not that desperate to go look for his house!

Leaves twirled on the night breeze, rolling wilding around her. Haku drew her legs up to her body, resting her head on her knees as she continued looking at the scribbled words on the paper.

Another sigh escaped her mouth. Slowly, she stood up, looking out at the village, before gracefully and effortlessly leaping towards the ground.

I guess sensei is never wrong. . .

* * *

The taut loops of bandages was strained against his body as Neji strolled into the hospital, towards the counter.

To the Hyuuga, it was a constant reminder of how he always took Tenten for granted. And how he never noticed it till a few hours ago.

"Hyuuga's Hinata's room please," said Neji softly while he bent slightly over the counter towards the receptionist.

"Room 105, second floor," replied the girl, almost lazily.

"T-thank you," the Hyuuga replied, tripping over the word he was not used to speaking.

Then he turned, and walked off towards the staircase. Walking past a window, he paused, and looked briefly at the creaking, shadowy trees. The sky was a sapphire blue, with streaks of azure highlighted by the glittering stars.

A sad smile flashed across Hyuuga Neji's face, before disappearing as the boy continued on.

* * *

Naruto retched loudly, spitting blood into the sink. His hand clutched his bare chest, digging deep into it. His cross-shaped scar throbbed with a sharp ache. Blood streaked down in thin, wobbly lines, dripping onto the white tiles. 

He staggered backwards below the shower, slamming into the wall with a dull thud. Naruto gasped painfully as he slid down to the floor. His eyes was glazed over and unfocused.

Quickly moments of hot brands and cold kunai whizzed through his mind. A dark, guttural growl echoed from the back of his mind. A tinge of excitement and anticipation filled him. His blurred vision faintly noticed the wild fluctuations of his shadow as it slowly morphed and grew to a large, snarling fanged mouth.

No!

He clamped down on tightly, ignoring the cutting throes of his body while he willed the looming chakra back.

Consume! Devour! Eat! it hissed and sneered, slamming against Naruto's mental shield.

A single black tendril rose from the blonde's shadow, rising ominously. It was poised, taut like a snake, before it darted in, flicking a singular slash on the boy's face.

Go. . .BACK! Naruto screamed, pushing with all his strength.

The tendril reared back again, before rushing in, its fangs open and ready to bite into the blonde's flesh.

Then a silent howl echoed throughout the room, striking Naruto's mind with a searing sting. The tendril exploded into a liquid-dust, and his shadow reverted back into its true form. The blonde sat there, gasping while his eyes were closed in exhaustion.

GOOD JOB. HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME YOU'LL BE SMARTER AS TO **NOT** GET INTO A FIGHT WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY INJURED.

Naruto managed a weak chuckle when he heard the sarcastic remark of the demon fox.

Doubt so, Kawaii-bi, I really doubt so.

* * *

The door creaked open, jerking Hinata out of her reverie. The blue-haired heir looked up, stifling a startled gasp when she saw her cousin walk in. Her eyes widened, but the girl held her fear down.

"Hello Neji-san," she said politely, refusing to stammer.

Neji looked at her, his eyes blank and expressionless as always, but Hinata's keen perception picked up twitch of nervousness in his steps.

The long-haired boy paused, as if contemplating his next move. The two stood there, silent and unmoving.

"Are you alright, Hinata-sama?" Neji spoke up, his voice barely a whisper in the dead night air.

Hinata felt her eyes grow incredibly big. "W-what?" she stammered, shocked at her cousin's sudden concern. "I-I mean. . .I-I'm f-fine."

Neji gave a small smile. "Hinata-sama. . .I," he started, before looking away.

"Neji-san. . .?"

Suddenly, the older Hyuuga dropped to his knees, facing the surprised heir with regretful white eyes. The night suddenly stilled, and the strange silence rang shrilly in Hinata's ears.

"I beg for your forgiveness, Hinata-sama, for this and all previous times," he said, bowing deeply. "I do not expect that you will, but I must let you know that no one forced me to do this; it was of my free will, and only mine that I apologize."

A half-hearted grin appeared on his face, despite the wet streaks on his cheeks.

"I guess. . .we all have free will. Just because I have a seal doesn't mean I don't," he wondered aloud. "And I was so blind. . .so blind to never notice it. . ."

Hinata bent forward, gently pulling her cousin upright.

"Neji-san. . .I n-never blamed you f-for anything," she said quietly.

"I know. . .and yet I had chose to ignore it," Neji said, letting go and freeing his first tears since his father's death.

The boy collapsed onto Hinata's lap, murmuring his apologizes over and over again while the girl silently held him.

Outside, the crickets continued chirping.

* * *

Haku glanced nervously at the door, her gaze flickering back and forth between it and the paper. 

Here goes nothing. . .

She rapped hardly against the wood, and heard the faint echo of her rap resonating in the room.

A few minutes passed, but the door remained unopened. Haku furrowed her eyebrows.

Strange, the light's on. He should be in.

Haku shrugged, and was about to walk off when the door suddenly swung open, revealing a dishevelled looking Naruto, with a towel slung around his neck.

"Haku-chan?" he said, surprise evident in his voice.

The girl smiled cheerfully. "Gomen, Narashi. Can I come in?"

"O-of course y-you can!" stuttered Naruto, before stepping back tot allow the girl in. "It's a little messy, sorry."

Haku just nodded, before shyly sitting down on the couch.

Naruto hurriedly dried off his hair, disappearing into the kitchen. out with two cups of tea.

"Um. . .this is a surprise," Naruto spoke out, slowly setting the tea onto the table.

Haku scratched her head, a faint, pinkish blush tingeing her cheeks. "Hehe. . .well, I just thought we could catch up. . .but I-I can leave i-if it's too much of a bother. . ."

"N-NO!" exclaimed Naruto, before reddening deeply when he realized his explosive reaction. "Um, I mean you can stay. . .it's no problem."

"Oh, ok."

An awkward silence descended onto the two. The moonlight was splayed across the floor, slowly creeping on carpet. A small breeze ruffled the curtains, stirring them.

"Hey, Narashi."

"Eh?"

Haku pointed to his left arm, at a cut peeking out of his sleeve.

"I-It's nothing, Haku-cha" said Naruto hastily, pulling his sleeve down.

"Don't worry, I should be to fix it up in a jiffy," reassured Haku, prying Naruto's fingers and lifting the sleeve upwards.

A large bruise laid above the cut. Haku widened her eyes, before narrowing it in suspicion. Her hands, bathed in a green translucent glow, shimmered vividly.

"Take off your shirt," she spoke, her voice hard and stern, leaving no room for argument.

Naruto sighed, but pulled his shirt over him. The soft, green light embraced him, ebbing over his faint tan, highlighting the purple bruises and long, dried cuts.

Haku hissed in shock, her hands already tracing the long, thin wounds, slowly healing them.

"What in the world did you do today!" she asked almost angrily, but Naruto could feel a urgent undertone of concern seep through.

"I, um, kinda fought with that Hyuuga kid. . ."

"YOU WHAT!"

Naruto bowed his head in fear as Haku towered over him. Her hazel eyes shifted emerald, while her chakra flared up, snapping out angrily. He smiled weakly at Haku, but the girl jabbed his head painfully with her finger.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING!" poked Haku, her voice drawn out in a low, hissing whisper.

"Eh. . .sorry Haku-chan," Naruto smiled weakly, wincing when the girl bobbed him on the head. "Really, really sorry."

Haku sighed and calmed down, before sitting next to the blonde and checking his wounds.

"Did you win?" she murmured, after a moment of silence. Her hands deftly closed the dried cuts, leaving a pale white mark that soon faded.

"Yeah," he replied.

At this, the girl raised an eyebrow, while surprise flashed in her eyes. Naruto chuckled at her reaction.

"What? You thought I would lose? Hah! I'm too awesome to lose!" said the boy, grinning madly.

A fist went to his head, pushing the blonde off the chair onto the hard floor. Haku sat calmly, her right fist in the air.

"Ouch. . ." groaned Naruto. "That hurt," he muttered while struggling up.

Haku huffed, but helped the boy back into a sitting position.

"So. . .how _did_ you win?" asked Haku, curiosity oozing out from her question. "Hyuuga Neji is extremely skilled in the Jyuken."

Naruto chuckled. "Chakra Chaos, remember? Jyuken doesn't affect my chakra, only causes pain. In fact, I can replicate the painful effects of the Jyuken with my chakra," he snickered wickedly, as if he had just pulled a big prank.

Haku rolled her eyes at the cheery blonde, but only smiled sadly when she remembered about his illness.

". . .Haku-chan? You alright?"

Haku looked up, stuttering an answer to the sudden question. "O-Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Naruto stared at her, his cerulean irises serious. "You had a sad expression. Don't try to lie, I know I saw it."

The raven-head sighed, and turned to look out the window.

"Your. . .chakra chaos. Does. . .does it hurt?"

A large grin spread over Naruto's face with only a flicker of hesitation. "Of course not! Why shoul"

"You're lying Narashi," spoke Haku, her tone soft and whispery.

The blonde stopped. An awkward silence hung in the air, occasionally broken by the slight rustle of the curtains.

". . .every time I use my chakra, Haku-chan. Every time," Naruto murmured, his voice seemingly loud in the ringing stillness.

The girl gingerly reached forward, and wrapped her arms around the blonde in a tight hug. The boy clutched her hands gently, silently thanking her.

* * *


	13. MISSION START, PAST KNOWLEDGE

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Notes:** Thank you all who reviewed! Nothing much to say 'bout this chapter. Oh, and by the way, just wondering, from the way I write, which gender do I sound like. I know, weird question. Heh. I need sleep.

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

_**Chapter Twelve:**_ Mission start, past knowledge

Naruto carefully and silently eased out the bed, leaving the sleeping Haku on the couch against a pillow. The first rays of day peeked out, splaying out in a dim orange light across the sky. Dawn was approaching.

Naruto unconsciously smiled when he saw the peaceful_and cute­_expression of the girl, before heading towards the bathroom.

Twisting the knob of the tap, Naruto cupped his hands under it, collecting the shimmering water and splashing it onto his face. After rubbing more water onto his cold skin and wiping it off, Naruto shut it off. He stared at the mirror, a faint, amused smile appearing on his face when he saw his wild, blood-shot eyes and messy hair.

_I look like shit._

_I'M GLAD YOU FINALLY REALIZED IT._

Naruto rolled his eyes at the demon's booming insult, but chuckled out loud.

_Grumpy as ever, Kawaii-bi._

_STOP CALLING ME THAT, BRAT, growled the fox, but a slight undertone of laughter seeped through._

_Heh, snorted the blonde, as unbuttoned his shirt, parting it to look at the blackened scar embedded on his chest. His fingers gently caressed it, trailing down the silken, onyx flesh._

_You hid it last night with genjutsu, didn't you?_

_DUH. COULN'T HAVE YOU GOING ANGSTY AND WACKO OVER HER QUESTIONS, COULD I? said Kyuubi dismissively, but the blonde vessel knew the fox cared._

"Going soft already, Kyuubi? Aww. . .how touching," laughed a voice behind Naruto.

The blonde whipped around, staring open-mouthed at the amused golden-eyed teen. He was in a long, black cloak with high collar. Shimmering suns and stars dotted his cloak, slowing shifting across the black velvet.

"I-Iikagen!" stuttered Naruto. "Uh. . .nice coat!"

"But of course! Miss my awesomeness, brat?" proclaimed the god jokily.

"Still as egoistical as always, I see," the boy sighed in mock-sadness.

Iikagen punched him softly, sending him crashing onto the floor.

"Oops," the deity whistled innocently, ignoring the venomous glare of his adopted brother.

Naruto righted himself, raising an eyebrow in surprise when a long scroll was shoved into his hands.

"Nani?"

Iikagen sighed. "It's a jutsu scroll. You can't use it, of course, with your chakra chaos and everything. . .but you can use this as a basis to built your own jutsu."

"Who wrote this?" asked Naruto distractedly as he scanned the scroll in excitement.

". . .someone. . .someone powerful," said the deity distantly. A sad smile tugged at his lips when Naruto nodded his head furiously, a wide grin on his face as he read the scroll.

"Sugoi!" whispered the blonde.

"Later, blondie. I need to attend some party," Iikagen waved, suppressing a murderous intent when the boy just ignored him, too engrossed in the scroll.

"Ungrateful brat," he muttered, before disappearing.

* * *

The sun rays danced and twirled in various shades of purple and orange across the sky.

Sakura smiled softly at the enchanting sky. Sasuke was beside her, leaning quietly against a tree. The pink-haired kunochi jumped off the bridge she was sitting on, and approached the silent, fair-skinned boy.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun," she said, almost timidly.

The boy glanced her with unreadable eyes, but nodded his head.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" continued Sakura, losing some of her nervousness. The morning breeze picked up around her, flitting through her pink locks.

Sasuke turned to look at her, ready to give a non-committed answer. His eyes widened slightly while his breath was caught in his throat when he saw the kunochi. The reddish sunlight fell onto her smooth, bare shoulders in long, sweeping strokes of orange. Her pink hair was a fiery tangerine, fluttering soundlessly in the mild wind. Her emerald eyes glinted with marvel as she eyed the sky.

Sasuke shook his head. Was hanging around Haku making him soft? He was an avenger. Emotions were useless.

Sakura turned around, focusing her enthralling emerald orbs onto the confused boy.

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" she asked concernedly.

"I'm fine," said the boy cuttingly, ignoring the hurt flashing in the girl's eyes, or the wince in his heart when he saw it.

_I am an avenger. Emotions are weaknesses. . .right? _

"Ohayo!"

The two turned around to see Tsunade dragging a resigned Kakashi.

"Ohayo, Tsunade-sama," they replied politely. The silver-haired jounin waved weakly at them.

"Yo!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, and unceremoniously dumped the lax ninja onto the ground.

"Well, I'm here to bring you to the Hokage tower for your mission briefing. I'm also here to drag Kakashi over here out of his bed. He has a tendency to be very late," the sennin beamed, giving the sheepish jounin a dirty glare. "Well, now"

"Sensei!"

Tsunade turned to see her apprentice and a blonde behind her. They were panting slightly.

"Haku. . .Narashi?" she asked, caught off-guard a second. "Well, I guess since we're all here, I'm saved the trouble to get you guys too! C'mon!" Tsunade waved, urging the confused genins towards the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi trailed behind the group, watching Narashi carefully. The blonde had a long, white coat, with an orange shirt and black pants on. The way the white fabric was swept tightly behind the boy. . .the way the sun danced across the light tone of his face, bringing the bright blue of his eyes out. . .how his blond hair would sway handsomely in the breeze. . .

. . .it was reminiscent of his former sensei.

* * *

"I'm supposed to be guarded by these little things!" scoffed the boy in a high-pitched whine. His companion, an older lady shrugged apologetically.

Sasuke glowered. His onyx orbs flashed dangerously with a glint of red, fixing the prince with a venomous stare.

Sakura mentally growled. _WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS! _she screamed angrily in her head.

Naruto twitched erratically at the rude and arrogant boy. His hands were shaking, almost uncontrollably as he fought the rising urge to throttle him.

_HE'S A PRINCE OF THE WAVE COUNTRY, DUMBASS. YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO ESCORT HIM TO HIS VILLAGE, NOT KILL HIM._

_Honestly, I don't really care much about that, replied Naruto._

_HN. WELL, I SEE YOUR POINT. HE TALKS TOO MUCH._

". . .and look at the blonde! Wearing a mask as if he's very cool! He looks the most retarded of them all! Even pinkie looks as if she could hold out better!" drawled the young prince of the Wave Country, Senichi Taro.

Then his eyes fell onto the irritated Haku. His eyes became wide for a moment. Then he stepped forward, slinging his arm over the annoyed girl in a silent marking of possession.

"What a cute lady!" he cooed nasally, ignoring the pointed, black glare of Haku. "What is your name, my beauty of a flower?"

"Haku," she spat curtly.

"Eh? A boy's name. . ." Taro trailed off when he felt the invisible daggers piercing him. "A beautiful name, nonetheless! Well, Haku-chan, you now have the honour of Yours Truly acknowledging you!"

Haku stared at him, stepping out of arm. "Do not take liberties, my _prince_," she said, with the threat of _or else_ left hanging in the air.

"A girl that plays hard! I like that!" announced Taro. Then he turned to his guard, Chihiro.

"Alright! I'll take this group then! At least they don't have the weird jumpsuit guy with those thick eyebrows and stupid haircut!"

"Hai, Senichi-sama," bowed the older girl.

Naruto slapped his face with his palm, groaning loudly. Sakura and Sasuke looked at the blonde, and sighed, wordlessly agreeing.

It was going to be a long mission.

* * *

He stood in the shadows, letting the darkness swirl around him and obscuring his features. The light fell to the ground in sweeping strokes, highlighting the tip of his dark blue cloak.

Kin Juujikei stood a distance away, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. The sun glinted off the multitude of shiny crosses dangling from his coats. The shinobi glanced lazily at the dark stranger, his glasses glowing white in the bright light.

"You wish us to test out this Kento guy out?" Juujikei asked, shifting his feet in slight curiosity. "Why?"

"The purpose is of no concern," the stranger replied coldly. A faint shimmer of red peeked from the shadows menacingly. Juujikei gave an imperceptible shudder.

"What do you want to know?" he asked his question, recovering quickly.

"Everything," was the simple reply. A large bag was thrown near the shinobi's feet, jingling loudly with the sound of coins. "I will be watching."

A long, wicked smirk grew on Juujikei's face. He smoothly swung down, grabbing the bag in a fluid motion.

"Deal."

* * *

The sun was perched high on its celestial throne, eyeing the world below with a fiery glance. Kakashi shut his visible eye, trying in vain to shut his escort's whines.

"Argh! SO HOT!" shouted Taro, waving his arms madly while tumbling wildly on the road. Chihiro followed the prince dutifully, her umbrella up and open, shielding the boy from the sun.

Naruto shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets, resisting the urge to knock the prince out. He had been constantly wailing since leaving the village. It was a miracle that they already covered a third of the journey.

"Can we take a break!"

The silver-haired jounin sighed. "Hai, Senichi-san. Let's rest under that tree over there. It's probably time for lunch anyway," Kakashi said, pocketing his _Icha Icha Paradise_.

The group set their packs down, before taking their lunches out. Taro munched on his rice balls while trying (and failing miserably) to snuggle up to Haku.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sad attempts of the prince, wondering how much longer the raven-haired kunochi could take of his advances.

Chihiro giggled softly as she eyed her young master. In Wave, dozens of women would throw themselves at the prince with loud declarations of love, inflating the boy's ego greatly. It did not help that he was pampered from birth, and had a high title of 'prince' already assigned to him.

The girl turned away, silently observing the rest of the ninja team. The jounin seemed lazy and unbothered _and is also a pervert, considering he reads that book!_ but Chihiro knew better. The name Hatake was widespread amongst the shinobi world, either associated with _The White Fang of Konoha_, or _The Copycat Ninja Kakashi_.

Uchila Sasuke was a lowly genin, but hailing from the genius clan, Chihiro knew that the sole heir and bearer of the Sharingan was a prodigy in more than one right. Haruno Sakura was quiet, sitting shyly between Haku and Sasuke. She had limited chakra, but Harunos were well-known jutsu-writers and genjutsu specialists. It was unknown whether the pink-haired kunochi would live up to her family's name, but Chihiro reserved her judgement for later.

Finally, the guard rested her gaze on the eating blonde.

"Kento Narashi," she murmured to herself. The boy was an enigma. Decked out in orange and black, with a bright white coat and mask, the ninja was a sore thumb. Stealth was lost on the genin. A slight frown flashed across her face as she remembered the previous conversation between the boy and his sensei.

_"Why did you wear that awfully bright outfit, Narashi?" asked Kakashi, a bored, but curious eye on the blonde. "You do know that you have almost zero stealth whatsoever?"_

_Naruto grinned and laughed. "What's the use of winning, if you don't do it in style?"_

Chihiro nearly snorted at that moment, but held back. The arrogance! Besides the rumour that Kento was dead-last in his class, the boy's chakra was wild and unchecked.

_What a poor control of chakra! But still, he does have potential, thought Chihiro. We'll see what he's made of soon.

* * *

_

The group soon continued on, with Taro slightly subdued. Naruto trailed alongside Kakashi, engrossed in his jutsu scroll.

The jounin eyed the blonde inquisitively. "What's that, Narashi?"

"A jutsu scroll, sensei. My brother gave it to me."

At this, the group paused mid-step, turning to look at Naruto with mild expressions of surprise.

"What?" asked the blonde, slightly snappish and annoyed at bring interrupted in his studies.

"You never mention you had any family. . ." trailed off Haku uncertainly.

"Well, you never asked," replied Naruto, now amused by his companions' strange shock.

"Is he a ninja?"

Naruto looked at Chihiro with a strange look in his eyes. He cocked his head, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"He's a lot more than that, Chihiro-san"

Then the ground shuddered, before a loud explosion echoed throughout the forest. Mud rained from the sky, dropping in large splats onto the ground; leaves fell, shaken from their branches, in slow, twirling motions.

"My, my, my, what do we have here?"

A man stood before them, his feet planted firmly on the left arm of a giant _cross_, firmly impaled into the ground.

_. . .the cross was dangled in front of him, glowing a strange, enthralling orange. Then the night went silent; the moon disappeared. The orange flash descended, gorging a blackened, charred nest of dead skin in his chest. . ._

Naruto whirled around dizzily, his blue eyes flashing in shock as _crosses_, dozens of them embedded in the woody trunks of the trees, in the parched earth, glinting with a wicked gleam of gold. He felt his throat tighten in cold terror. His irises dilated as he involuntarily took a step backwards.

_. . .the blade upon his skin. A sudden numbness engulfed him, stopping the pain as terror rattled his bones. His eyes widened as he stared into the cold, beady eyes of his captor. . ._

He was frozen, his gaze rested on the giant cross that blocked their way. He ignored the strange looking man who stood atop of it, only focusing on the cross. . .the _cross. . .the **cross**_.

_. . .whimpering misty protests while his broken limbs shifted and writhed in the white sleet. He felt, once again, pain pressed against his chest, charring his skin, searing his flesh. He felt the cells crinkling, rolling and dissolving into a blackened dust as. . . _

Naruto whimpered faintly. His scar throbbed and winced. The faint, frantic shouts of Kyuubi faded in his ears. A loud, sadistic gurgle rang tauntingly in his mind, with the soft insinuations of death creeping across his mind like winding vines.

"Shall we play, my dear shinobis?" the man shrieked, a maniacal grin slinking across his face.

Twirling his hand, a long spear, with a wicked-looking cross at the tip appeared. The man grabbed it, holding it firmly for while, before flinging it straight at Naruto, aimed for the heart.

"_Come and play, little genin!_" he cackled, leaning forward while his arm was slung around the cross-stand. His yellow eyes widened in a crazed anticipation, while his yellowed teeth leered widely, shark-like, as the spear inched ever closer.

"KENTO!"

Naruto was frozen, his eyes unseeing while he stared blankly and terrified at the cross. His eyes became slightly silted, with strands of twisting amethyst enveloping his cerulean irises.

* * *

**In case you think I'm making Naruto a pussy-hissy-dick, err, no. Actually, I've read before a manga in which is guy, whom saw his father get killed by strangulation when he was four, couldn't pull on a tie. every time he tried to wear a tie, he experiences a choking sensation. I just applied it to Naruto's case, making it more painful and worse. I love torturing our favourite blondie. . .and don't worry, this also further expands on Chakra Chaos. **

**Anyway. . .first cliffhanger!**


	14. SHADOW UNLEASHED, DARK REVELATIONS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

**Notes:** I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry. Life has been rather hectic these days, and my writing has been mostly like crap, and, I know its not much of a reason, so I apologize. I know how it is to keep people waiting, for I, once again, say sorry and give my sincere thanks to all those who've reviewed, and gave me the extra incentive to finish up this chappy. It's abit unpolished, but it's a whopping 13 pages long, something I never thought possible with my little patience. Anyhoo, enjoy the fic!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: _Shadow unleashed, Dark revelations_**

"Narashi!" Haku shook the blonde, but he only stared ahead blankly, seemingly unresponsive. "Narashi!"

The cross laid embedded in the ground nearby, having missed its target.

The man on the cross laughed heartily. "Hohoho! What do we have here? A ninja who faints in the middle of the battle? Pathetic!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and stared hardly at the stranger. "Who are you, and why do you attack us?"

"Gutsy one, I say. Kin Juujikei is my name," he replied, a crazed grin appearing on his face." And killing that little Prince over there is my game!"

_-/-/-/-_

_UZUMAKI! DON'T YOU DARE LET YOUR CONTROL DOWN YOU BRAT! Kyuubi smashed against the unmoving bars ragingly, his red eyes alit with worry. Flames licked his teeth, bursting out in small, bright sparks._

Naruto stood a distance from the agitated fox. He stood there with the murky water slowly swirling around his knees. The boy trembled violently, his hands balled up in quivering fists while his eyes remained wide and unseeing. The towering shadows circled in long, crude strokes, whispering hauntingly into his ear.

Their dark song caressed the blonde's soul, tickling it with dark fingers. It touched him and roamed across the boy's pale skin, licking him with a invasive rub.

_Rape. Murder. Death._

Naruto dropped on his knees. He grabbed his head, digging his fingernails into his hair and whimpered. The shadow howled, rising and enveloping the crying boy.

_UZUMAKI! bellowed Kyuubi. NARUTO!_

Naruto looked down at the shivering water, seeing in a morbid and delirious fascination as his reflection shimmered and juddered violently, slowly shifting into the man he had just seen: Kin Juujikei.

The man had a long, sharp chin. Unkempt brown hair fell in long, dirty locks down his face while his eyes peeked through, glinting a deranged yellow. He leered sadistically, revealing his white teeth that shone ominously in the light. . .

_. . .moonlight fell on his captor's hair, slowly inching across the man's skin as a ghastly, eerie glow. His wild, yellow eyes were ablaze with a sadistic delight while he trailed the kunai on Naruto's skin, carefully breaking the tender skin into a bleeding mass of intricate patterns. . ._

Naruto tried to closed his eyes, but the raging shadow grabbed his eyelids and forced them apart while holding him down. The boy stared wide-eyed at his memories as it flickered wildly between his present attacker and his past torture.

The eyes. The teeth. The long, lop-sided leer.

**THEY ARE ONE; BOTH ARE SAME. KILL HIM; HE KILLED YOU! PAIN HIM; HE PAINED YOU! STAB HIM; HE STABBED YOU!**

"No. . ." shuddered Naruto, shaking his head. He swiped the water angrily, refusing to look at it, but the reflection soon reformed back to the flickering loop of haunting imagery, taunting the boy. "Revenge is purposeless. . ."

**REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE! KILL KILL KILL! MURDER HIM RAPE HIM RIP HIS PUNY BODY INTO TINY PIECES!**

Naruto screamed, huddling into a tight ball as the shadow loomed over him, excluding a sickly malicious aura. It grabbed the boy, slamming him into a wall. The concrete crumbled into pieces of granite blocks. Naruto groaned as a fine mist of grey dust enveloped him. Then the shadow pulled him out, flinging the limp figure downwards: its long arm arcing wickedly as it brought the blonde into the ground with a resounding splash. It howled; throwing its head backwards while opening its grotesque mouth in a gaping hole to reveal an inky darkness that slowly melted away into the face of Naruto's nightmare.

The monster's head darted forward, shoving its head into the blonde's petrified face with an insane shriek.

**SUMMON YOUR POWERS! CRUSH HIS SOUL! SLICE HIS SKIN BREAK HIS BONES! CALL YOUR STRENGTH AND SMASH HIS BODY! **

The head spun on its neck dizzily, whirling into a shapeless blur. Its vine-like tendrils wrapped themselves around the blonde in a silken cocoon, before parting at the front, tearing Naruto's shirt to reveal his throbbing scar.

**HURRY HURRY HURRY!** it cackled.

Then the beast opened its mouth impossibly wide, letting a long, pale arm slink disgustingly out of the gap. The fingers wriggled, tickling Naruto's nose before melting away into a long brand, with its ominous cross-shaped end held high above the blonde. The monster's neck split apart horizontally, stretching into a shark-like grin.

**REVENGE REVENGE DEATH DEATH DIE! **it rambled madly, before bringing the brand down onto Naruto's shaking chest. The blonde screamed, struggling wildly against his bonds.

Blood flowed out from ears, his eyes, his mouth and nose. His scar dissolved into a festering mass of charred flesh.

Kyuubi stared in a helpless horror, thrashing wildly against the bindings that confined him. His felt his chakra being drained, seeping out into the darkness in long, twisting strands.

The shadow laughed as it grabbed in the purple chakra. A thick, black veil slowly inched onto the bristling purple energy, as if it were devouring it.

**SING TO ME, UZUMAKI!** screamed the monster, before descending on the frozen blonde, wrapping him in swirling black and yellow.

/-/-/-

Kakashi ducked and lunged forward, thrusting his kunai into the thick mist. The faint, taunting laughter of Momochi Zabuza drifted to his ears.

"See how weak you are when your sight is robbed?" The missing-nin flicked a shuriken at the Konoha jounin with a lazy twist of his fingers.

The silver-haired shinobi stepped back, leaning his head sideways to avoid the projectile. A single bead of sweat rolled down his face, past the spinning orb of his sharingan.

"Is that all you have? The copycat nin, defeated by this small mist?" The ex-mist ninja shook his head, disappointed. "Well, then, Hatake. . ._I_ will take that sharingan out of your unworthy hands!"

"Sight is not the most important skill of a hunter, Zabuza," murmured Kakashi, jumping to his left, dodging the swing of his opponent's sword. His hair swayed in the cold breeze left in the weapon's wake.

The mist parted, dissolving into tattered strands to reveal the cold, deathly eyes of the Devil.

Then the mist re-sealed, breaking the temporary lull in the battle.

Kakashi bent low, his eyes distant and unfocused. The jounin's legs kicked down, hard, pushing him backwards to avoid the downward swing of Zabuza's sword.

_React, do not think. Push back your rational self and allow your instincts to control your movements. In the arts of survival, your body will know best. Never forget that, Kakashi. . ._

A small, pensive smirk pressed against the veil as Kakashi begun his breathing techniques his sensei had taught him.

_Hai, Arashi-sensei._

Then the jounin fell into the deep, billowing folds of his mind. He shivered slightly as the silky material brushed against him, enveloping him a cool, calming whisper.

He felt his muscles twitch, then explode into a vigorous flurry of activity. His vision flashed with a multitude of vivid colours, filling him with a dizzy excitement.

Kakashi felt absolutely _alive_. Adrenaline rushed through his bloodstream, heightening his senses by a hundredfold.

His unconsciousness came forward, seeping out in large, copious drops. His fingers twisted and parted, quickly forming seals while his body ducked and jumped, furiously dodging the mist-nin's attack.

Zabuza growled, as he swung his sword, yet missing for another time while the Konoha jounin leapt away from his attack. The ground exploded into a fine blanket of dust, but the shinobi shrugged it off, staring forward as he dashed towards Kakashi.

His blade was a white, blurred arc as it swiped downwards. Kakashi sidestepped, his eyes still blank and unfocused. Zabuza gave no pause as he forced the sword out the ground in a quick spin. His blue apparel became a whirling flicker; his weapon a thin, razor-sharp streak.

Kakashi crouched, lunging low behind his opponent. A frustrated, yet delighted snarl drifted to his ears. He spun around, twisting his body sideways to dodge a dangerous slash. The jounin leant backwards, using his chakra to tighten his knees joints while he hovered in a low diagonal position above the floor to avoid a second attack.

Then Kakashi hopped back upright, his hand slipped into his vest with a faint rustle, carefully pulling out a small, tightly-rolled scroll. His fingers deftly broke the seal while he kicked hard into the ground, launching himself backwards.

His eyes were narrowed with a feral glint. Unrolling the scroll and slamming it onto the floor, the ninja bit his other hand, pricking one finger to smear a splat of blood onto the inside of the scroll.

"Not all hunters need sight, Zabuza," he called out loudly when his fingers formed the final seal. "**Kuchiyose: Kontserun Ninmenjuush no jutsu**! (_Summoning Technique: Familiar-Master Beast Merge!_)"

Kakashi felt his vision blur, then focusing, _lengthening_ into a longer sight-range. His world was distorted, slowly melding into a black and white picture. He felt his ears pricked up, twitching at any faint rustles that signalled his opponent's movement.

_A whoosh of air. The dim, light taps on the hard ground, rattling loudly in his ears as they became louder, and louder, and louder. . ._

Then a large sword sliced cleanly through the wet veil, descending onto the jounin's head. It suddenly stopped, held back a fraction away from the ninja's skull by an unyielding kunai.

The mist thinned, reveal a faintly-panting Zabuza, his hands wrapped tightly around the onyx handle of his sword. He pressed forward, but was pushed back. His eyebrow-less eyes scanned his opponent, widening slightly when he met the snow-white iris and diamond-shaped pupil of Kakashi's right eye, glowing brightly beside the ever-spinning sharingan.

"The fun begins, Momochi."

/-/-/-

_Protect the client with your life._

The single command of his sensei echoed loudly in Sasuke's mind. He held his kunai firmly, pressing down a nervous tremor that threatened to shake his whole body.

Sakura stood beside him, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. Her emerald orbs flashed with slight fear as she readied her shurikens.

Isutuki Yori stared at them, a bored look on his face. His brown, beady eyes were unreadable as he lazily shifted on his legs. His white clothing hung loosely on his body, wrapping around the slightly fat frame of the ninja.

"So, how do you wish to die? Crushed or fried?" the man asked, laughing at his own joke. Then he narrowed his eyes and crouched, his legs poised to jump. "I guess it doesn't matter anyway, my genins. You'll still die."

Sakura trembled faintly, her knees about to lock up in fear when a soft jolt on her arm jerked her back to reality. She looked up to see a calm Sasuke, focused on their opponent.

"Daijoubu, Sakura," the Uchila heir spoke softly before giving her a reassuring squeeze.

The girl smiled at the rare show of concern by her team-mate. and nodded gratefully. Conviction returned to her eyes.

Yori smirked. His thick fingers criss-crossed, forming different seals in a quick order while the genins waited for him to make his move.

"**Kakuchou no jutsu**! (_Enlargement no jutsu_)" he yelled, before leaping high into the air

Sasuke and Sakura jumped away from each other, skidding sideways to a stop as they stared in amazement a large object crashing into their previous position. The ground cracked and trembled. Dust swirled around the rising silhouette.

Sasuke widened his eyes in shock as the thick, brown cover slowly settled to reveal a grinning Yori. He was growing bigger and taller, ballooning to twice his original size. His clothes, once loose-fitting, were once almost tight, wrapping nicely around the man's new size.

"Let's play, children!"

Yori threw a fist at Sasuke while jumping out of the crater. He missed, but continued charging. The Uchila heir ducked a second attack, thrusting forward with his kunai. The metal blade pierced in deep, but Yori gave it no thought as he swung his arm downwards, smashing the ground.

Sasuke strafed and leapt high to avoid the other fist. He landed on Yori outstretched limb, running on the surprised shinobi's arm with a light, tapping footstep, lunging forward with a kunai aimed for the eye.

The ninja grabbed the genin in midair. Yori flung the boy away; his arm was a arcing blur as it tossed the genin onto the ground forcefully. Sasuke landed, hard, bouncing on the hard soil with loud grunts of pain as he slammed into a tree.

His vision was a dizzy blur. Sasuke looked up, unable to registering the looming shadow that crept over him like a blanket of ants.

"Slow, little boy, too _slow_." The large man towered over the boy, his face emotionless as he brought his giant fist down.

It was a slow second as it descended, before stopping abruptly. Yori cocked an eyebrow, his brown eyes meeting the spirited, emerald gaze of a pink-haired kunochi. Long, wild strands of blue-green chakra swirled around her, silently snapping at the tensed air around her. His arm was stuck in the nock between her crossed arms held high above her head.

He pressed on, shifting his enormous weight to lean on the girl. The ninja felt a grudging admiration for the girl as her petite body refused to budge.

Sasuke grunted as a sharp, cutting pain ran over his bruised ribs. A small, thin shadow of a smile appeared loosely on his lips when he saw Sakura defend him.

"Sakura. . ."

The kunochi gritted her teeth, inching her left hand sideways to shift Yori's arm away, giving her an open angle for attack. Pushing forward, Sakura forced the offending arm away before leaping towards the surprised giant. Her right arm was cocked back and thrust forward, smashing hardly against Yori's face.

Shock and pain flashed across the man's face as he flew backwards, crashing a few metres away into a tree. The sickly creaking and dull splintering of wood echoed loudly, leaving a deathly silence in its wake.

Sakura slumped to the ground his eyelids drooping as the fiery chakra that circled her dissipated.

"Sakura!" Sasuke hoarsely yelled, half limping towards his fallen team-mate. He lifted her frail body and cradled it against his chest, shaking the exhausted girl worriedly. "Daijou?"

The pink-haired girl nodded weakly. She replied in a faint whisper, her voice slightly slurred.

"Is he down?"

At this, a single, ominous creak of a tree covered the area as a loud, painful groan. The two genins jerked their heads up, only to see a tree being slowly lifted off the ground. Its trunk was split wide apart, with its chipped bark open in a silent, jagged gap.

The leaves fluttered wildly as the broken plant was flung aside. Yori stood beside its shattered corpse, panting heavily as he shrunk. His torn robes were soon draped loosely around him, hanging heavily while the man composed himself.

Sasuke stood up, drawing two kunais and readying them as he took a shaky stance. Sakura tried to stand, but her limbs buckled under her weight. She fell, sprawled over the ground.

Yori walked towards the pair, letting his long leg sleeves drag along the ground, leaving a winding imprint behind.

He wiped the dribble of blood trickling from the corner of his lips.

"Nice. . .hit, girl." The man sneered, cough slightly as he stood a few metres away from the pair. "Very strong. . .better than your blonde team-mate, I guess. . ."

Sasuke tensed as the man revealed a gleaming katana from a non-descript sheath by his side.

"Too bad it wasn't enough, eh?" Yori finished, before charging head on.

Sasuke leapt, planting his feet firmly on the ground before Sakura with his kunai held tightly in a deathly grip. The pink-haired kunochi widened her eyes as their opponent thrust the silver blade forward, stabbing at the Uchila.

The grim whirl of silver flashed forward, piercing deep into empty air.

"Nani!"

Yori took a step back in shock, his sword still outstretched in the air. Sasuke crouched shakily on it, his sandals balanced on the thin edge. His mouth was cocked in a half smirk, with his kunai aimed straight at Yori.

"Slow, fat boy," he sneered, the twin orbs of his activated Sharingan spinning furiously. "Too slow."

/-/-/-

Haku dived away, her ears ringing with the loud explosion behind. She felt a cool detach-ness fill her as she entered the mirrors.

She turned around, her raven locks swirling around her face as she stared at her opponent, Kin Juujikei. As the smoke cleared, the man swept a hand through his dirty yellow hair, flicking it backwards to reveal his grinning, sadistic eyes.

His pale, bony fingers were wrapped around a single golden cross, idly twirling it. Behind him, another ice mirror crashed onto the floor, shattering into a thousand glass pieces.

A long, crazed grin slowly spread across Juujikei's face.

"What a grand formation, genin. I take it you're the little apprentice of Tsunade whom became quite famous these past years, eh?"

Haku said nothing, her hazel eyes dark and blank.

"The Demonic Ice Mirrors. A seemingly indestructible palette of floating mirrors, eh, little Haku-chan?" Juujikei mocked, his tongue stretched out to touch the cool metallic surface of the cross, licking it. "Sadly, if I manage to kill one image of you, the corresponding mirror is destroyed."

A sardonic expression of sadness flashed across Juujikei's face, while his mouth curled in a slight pout.

"How sad. But whatever." He shrugged, his eyes half-closed as if in sympathy. "I have a prince to kill while you have a client to protect, neh?"

Then he leapt, dashing towards a small, thin opening between the hovering mirrors.

Haku passed out of the reflective surface, her hair slowly dropping down in slender drapes after sliding out of the mirror. She and her clones charged, flicking glinting streaks of silver needles at Juujikei.

She darted in, more needles held tightly between her fingers, before thrusting forward at the man.

Time seemed to stiffen, slowing into a strange, trance-like crawl as Juujikei swivelled a single yellow eye, staring in a challenging gaze as he skidded to a stop and brought his twirling fingers together in an complicated twist. His cross lay still between his clasped hands, its golden edge glinting innocuously.

"**Tenrai Sekisho**! (_Divine Barrier_)"

A translucent green orb shimmered into existence, bathing the area in an unearthly emerald as fluctuated and ebbed in slow, lapping waves on the ground.

The patter of metal spikelets echoed in Haku's ears, almost mockingly as all her needles bounced off the barrier. She swiped downwards, applying chakra to her attack to smash through shield and stabbed Juujikei in the chest, but not before he finished his second jutsu. The man raised his left hand, whipping his cross upright in his hand.

"**Secchuu kirisame no jutsu**! (_Rain of Crosses_)"

Haku flew away back into another mirror, whirling around to see a bright, whirling spark igniting above Juujikei. The spark fizzed and whizzed, spinning furiously into a misty cloud of intense light.

Juujikei grinned, his yellow eyes wide and deranged while blood seeped down his arm in long trailing rivulets.

Translucent crosses appeared, searing down from the white cloud as a dazzling display. Haku watched her clones twist and bent around them before escaping the deadly trap. Yet, as the brightness cleared, a single clone lay squirming with a still silent cross impaled in her neck. Her eyes were wide and unseeing as it exploded into smoke.

A multitude of splinters crawled up along the smooth plane like slithering snakes. A loud crack echoed sickeningly, right as the large mirror shattered and crashed onto the floor.

"Cheers, little girl!" Juujikei winked, drawing another cross into his hand as he leaping over the broken remains of the ice jutsu.

He sped towards the middle, where a frightened young boy stood. His eyes were bulging with fear while his face was a pasty white. His knees buckled together, quavering violently.

Beside him, a motionless blonde lay facedown. A slight quiver shook the fallen nin, bringing a slight, disgusted curl to Juujikei's lips.

_Pathetic. . .what's so interesting about such a loser anyway? the man wondered idly, before shifting his eyes towards a spirited woman samurai who placed herself in front of the frightened prince._

Around him, the many images of Haku slid silently into their places in the swirling mirrors. They crouched, glinting needles held at ready to attack.

Chihiro unsheathed her katana, holding it firmly in her two hands. Her eyes were steely, while her lips were pressed in a thin line.

"You will not pass."

Juujikei smirked wider, but he cursed loudly in his mind.

_Blasted. Now that the imbecile blonde is down, what the hell should I do? Killing the prince may be fine and dandy, but that would destroy our reason to return. _

A small bead of sweat rolled down past his face while the nin remembered with trepidation of his strange client, the one with red, spinning eyes.

_Kuso! Argh, screw this, I'm gonna try to injure the damn prince and leave. _

He drew another cross, and leapt, flinging his weapons down on the prince.

/-/-/-

**LA, LALALA, LALA, LALA! LA, LALA, LALALA, LALA!**

Naruto was sprawled limply over the floor. He shut his eyes, trying furiously to ignore the screams of his younger self ringing loudly in his ears.

He felt the icy touch of the shadow trail over his skin, drawing numbing lines across his body.

"Argh," Naruto groaned, shutting his eyelids tighter while balling up as a freezing sensation descended onto him, seeping into his bones with a shuddery whisper.

**KILL HIM BOY. FLAY HIM SPLIT HIS BONES CRUSH HIS SKULL EAT HIS EYES.**

_Think of something else, think of something else, the boy chanted in mind repeatedly. I love ramen I love ramen --- must seal stupid monster --- I love ramen I love ramen I love ramen!_

His fingers shifted, forming an intricate design between his hands. A small flare of chakra peeked out from the inky darkness, swirling around his hands.

_Tiger to tiger, may the orange beast stall the monster._

The faint, worried insults of Kyuubi drifted to Naruto's ears. A slight, amused grin appeared on his face as he twisted his fingers into another position. _I love ramen and that baka fox._

_Phoenix to phoenix, may your golden feathers shield me._

Soon, the blonde found himself lost in the happier memories of his life, where Iikagen dumped him with a pile of ramen, or when he first saw Haku under the moonlight, her hair glistening with a silvery lustre.

_Dragon to dragon, may your fiery fire burn the inky spectre._

The shadow, sensing that the boy was no longer under its spell, enveloped him in gloom, embracing him painfully.

**SING TO ME, LITTLE BOY,** it whispered softly, seductively.

Naruto tried to stand, struggling greatly with heavy black chains that weighed down onto him.

**SING WITH ME!** the beast shrieked, before a dozen inky knifes stabbed deep into Naruto.

/-/-/-

Zabuza panted, hunched over and leaning on his sword. Before him stood Kakashi, his right eye still an eerie white.

_His strength and speed have suddenly increased. . .what was that jutsu?_

The silver-haired jounin remained impassive as he observed his opponent.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes, before heaving his sword and charged. He slashed horizontally, only for Kakashi to kick backwards to dodge it. The ex-Mist nin rushed forward, bringing the blade down onto the jounin.

Kakashi stopped the blade with his hands. A trickle of blood ran down his arm, but he ignored it, forcing the giant sword into the ground beside him with Zabuza's exerted force. The leaf nin twisted sideways, tapping lightly on the blade up towards his shocked opponent. Kakashi thrust a kunai forward with lightning speed, piercing the shoulder of Zabuza. Then he whirled behind the Mist-nin, his other hand holding up another kunai to the shinobi's throat.

Suddenly, as the two opponents stood in an impasse, an explosion rocked behind them. Kakashi tilted his head back slightly, his sharp eyes widening when he saw, through the thinning mist amidst the broken rubble of ice chucks, a deadlock between Haku and Juujikei. Chihiro kneed on the ground, half slumped against her sword.

"Looks like your little genins losing, Hatake-san," murmured Zabuza, his gazed fixed on the threatening kunai.

Kakashi said nothing, his face blank and unreflecting of the worry within his mind.

/-/-/-

Yori flew backwards, smashing down a tree. The pink-haired kunochi collapsed to the ground again, this time out cold as her chakra spent.

He ducked a blow from the Uchila, scrambling backwards and dodging the now-slower attacks.

_Cursed. That's the second blow from the girl. . .and it hurts. The other genin has become tired, but I doubt I can hold him off much longer. . ._

Yori deflected a second fist, grabbing the arm, twisting it to flip the surprised boy over onto his back. He grabbed Sasuke's leg and spun furiously, flinging the genin into a tree, knocking him out.

"Yori!"

The nin looked up, panting as his grip on his katana loosened. Juujikei stood unsteadily, several needles buried in him while he struggled to form seals.

"Kill the bloody prince!"

Yori swivelled his head, to see a trembling boy, slowly shifting backwards. His samurai bodyguard staggered up, her sword held shakily in her bloodied hands.

The shinobi only grinned, and leapt, his blade poised and ready to pierce the fear-struck prince's heart.

/-

Black, swirling tendrils, as deep and dark as the abyss, wrapped tightly around Naruto, buckling his legs and causing him to collapse onto the ground.

_NARUTO YOU LITTLE SHORT BAKA! THE PRINCE IS DYING, DUMBASS! DO SOMETHING!_

"Easier said than done you stupid fox," growled the blonde as he forced himself up, thrashing violently against his bonds. "Stupid black thing."

He stood up, forcing himself against the shadow.

"Bugger. . .OFF," he roared, shredding the shady veil while he finished his final seal.

The walls exploded in a furry of red light and the loud, banshee-like scream of the beast echoed painfully within the pulsing corridors.

Naruto swam upwards, towards consciousness, not even making sure his 3-part seal was successful.

/-

"Hyoushi no jutsu!"

Multiple glow orange threads were scattered across the field, criss-crossing in such a way that it held both Chihiro and Haku (along with her clones) down firmly.

"TARO-SAMA!"

The Senichi, gripped by fear, could only watch with widening eyes the blade descending onto him. . .

Yori's grin became wider, when a sudden blur sped in front of him. He felt the blade bite into flesh, before halting abruptly.

The nin looked down, meeting a pair of amethyst eyes, with flecks of yellow glittering in them. The pupils were slitted, and from the pitch-black-ness of it slithered a shrieking insanity that frightened the shinobi.

"Wha--"

Then, for a brief second, the face scowled, his stare becoming a maddened yellow glare that stared into Yori's very soul. The boy's hair turned black, flitting like night as suffocation set in, pressing down on the man. A large flare of chakra seeped into his veins, burning his insides, shredding his blood before he released his grip from his katana.

As he slumped to the ground, Yori felt the faint grab on his shirt, pulling him away before slipping into oblivion.

* * *

**BTW, Naruto's eyes are purple because his blue eyes merged with kyuubi's reds to form purple. Its not really anything much, cept that I found purple a relatively cooler colour than red :P. Oh, and Kakashi's jutsu. . .well, you can try to guess what it does! **


	15. SEVEN SUNS AND WRITHING PAST

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.

**Notes: **Sorry for the wait. It's 14 pages long, 5082 words thick. My longest chapter! Wow. Anyway. This took 3 days of crazy typing and reading FFVII fan fiction. Man, I'm hooked on them now. BTW, feel free to ask any questions. I'll address them in the next chapter, which is more or less gonna be an explaining chappy.

**Enjoy.

* * *

**

**Chapter Fourteen:** _Seven suns and writhing pasts._

Naruto sat away from his team, his blue eyes blankly focused on the leaping cinders of the amber flame. A faint crinkle of the burning wood lulled the blonde into a temporary sense of tranquillity, away from the pulsing pain laced his sore muscles and the haunting whispers of his past.

Haku looked worriedly at her friend. The boy had refused treatment from the medic-nin, shutting off all protests when the gaping wound below his neck _sealed off_ by itself, leaving a spot of unblemished skin outlined by drying blood.

The katana that stabbed him, still stained a dirty red, lay almost innocuously beside Naruto. Sakura sat huddled in a blanket, her eyes half asleep as Kakashi finished up a chakra transfer into her body. Sasuke propped his arms on his lap, rest his head onto his intertwined fingers while silently observing the masked blonde.

Taro sat beside his guardian, unusually quiet. Chihiro polished her katana furiously, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Narashi. . .are you alright?" asked Haku tentatively.

The blonde turned his head slowly. He was in a strange, almost frightening daze, cocking his head sideways to look at the medic-nin with vacant eyes. Then he merely shook his head, and returned to his original position, watching the orange fire dance.

"Narashi." Kakashi stood up, taking a step towards the boy. "Narashi, what happened today?" He continued in a low, soothing tone.

Sasuke stared hard at his team-mate, his onyx eyes narrowed with faint annoyance. "Oi dobe! Sensei called you! Are you there?" he prodded, hoping that the blonde would at least respond to insult. It unnerved the Uchila, seeing the normally lively blonde so deathly muted.

Naruto didn't respond, but he shifted forward. He peered carefully, his cerulean iris turning amber before the fiery blaze as they read the entrancing twirls and leaps of wild, untamed sparks.

Then they flickered to his right hand, darkening into a moody maroon, as if frowning at the dried, flaking rivulets of blood that trailed across his palm.

"Narashi?" Haku asked again tentatively when the genin suddenly thrust his hand into the fire.

A whisper of a smile graced Naruto's lips as he felt pain surging past his searing skin, overflowing into his mind as a numbing, white bliss before a sudden jerk on his arm brought him back to reality.

He looked up, dully registering a sharp sting slapping onto his face when he saw Haku, her hands on his arms. Already, the rush of painful joy evaporated, replaced by a slight tingling that enveloped his hand. Kyuubi remained silent, and only a slight rustle of fur conveyed the fox's annoyance at having to heal his vessel again.

Naruto kept his mouth tightly shut, turning himself away from the furious and worried cries of his sensei, his team.

He stiffened when a firm pressure gripped his shoulder. The presence of the Haku filled his senses, and the blonde could almost see the hazel eyes of the medic-nin, glittering with streaks of emerald as they stared pleadingly at him. Those eyes, who could break a man with a single steely glare, who could make Naruto lose his nerve. . .

The genin broke out of his reverie, and stood up slowly. Chihiro glanced at him. Her stare was held curiosity, laced with accusation.

_I failed._

Naruto looked at the samurai, bowing deeply, his left hand at the side while the right was cradled at the stomach. Already, a new layer of skin had begun to form, smooth and pale.

"I apologize for today. It will not happen again." His eyes were shaded, and his white coat fluttered in the slight breeze around them. "I will take the night shift," he finished, leaving no arguments.

Then he was gone, melding into the dark, shifting canopy of leaves above. Sasuke raised an eyebrow while Kakashi signed, shrugging helplessly. The silver-haired jounin caught Haku's worried eye, and silently nodded to her, jerking his chin towards where Naruto had disappeared to.

The medic-nin took off without hesitation.

Haku landed on a thick branch, with a good view that overlooked the whole of the camp and its surroundings. She found the blonde leaning against the tree, his head rolled on his shoulder as he lazily surveyed the bottom.

The nin sat beside Naruto, her hands flat against the rough bark while her legs dangled freely in the air. The light of the campfire soon diminished, leaving the two a semi-darkness.

"Why are you here?"

"You looked like you need someone to talk to." Haku gave a small smile, her eyes closed in a grin as moonlight cascaded down across her face in long, glowing strokes.

"You. . .you should rest early." Naruto tore his eyes away, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

The medic-nin shrugged, and scooted closer, gently grabbing the blonde's right hand. Naruto gave no response, but he cocked an eyebrow in mild surprise as the girl stared intensely at his hand.

"It's healed." It was a statement.

Naruto pulled away, feeling slightly awkward. "I'm a fast healer."

Haku did not answer. She looked away, peering at the flitting shadows beyond. A moment of silence surround them, pierced only by the chirping of crickets and the soft rustle of leaves.

"I once read that there were a few ways chakra chaos could occur. The most frequent, besides being born with it, was under great emotional trauma. If the person has an unstable chakra state in his body, the emotional toll could have warped it into a frenzied state, resulting in this condition."

Haku paused, turning to meet the blonde's curious stare.

"It was also stated that although this was not proven, there were many signs that pointed to the chakra taking on a. . .personality of sorts, due of the emotional stress experienced by the victim."

Naruto flinched.

"In-inter-resting," he stuttered, his mind blazing with confusion.

"What happened today?" Haku quipped, her sharp whisper cutting through the night air.

Naruto nearly jumped at her tone, but forced himself still.

"I messed up, that's---"

"--not all," Haku interrupted. "You froze the moment you saw that man. You are better than that. You know him, don't you?"

Her hazel eyes flashed in warning, almost daring him to lie.

"I don't know, I don't know anything, ok!" His tone bordered on frustration. "He. . .looked familiar. Maybe I know him. I just. . .I'm just confused. . .so confused. . ."

Haku bit her lip. She did not mean for the blonde to get so worked up.

"Gomen-nei, Narashi." The nin placed a reassuring hand on her companion. "Perhaps another day, neh, Narashi?"

As she turned to leave, Naruto suddenly grabbed her, causing her to pause mid-step.

The blonde seemed to struggle with himself, swallowing a deep breath before muttering in a small voice.

"I. . .I have a phobia of crosses," Naruto murmured. "Either I go insane and tear everything around me apart, or I freeze and drop."

Haku gasped. "Narashi. . ."

"I guess you were right. Something. . .painful did happen to me, when I was young." He shifted, looking down at the camp. "It probably caused my chakra chaos. It probably gave me my phobia."

_It probably condemned me to a life of pain._

"Do you feel better, letting it out?"

Naruto jerked his head up, his eyes widened in surprise. Haku only grinned at him, making him realize that, in a way, the darkness that had plagued his thoughts lightened slightly.

A small smile crept onto his face.

"Yeah. . .I guess I do." Then he laughed, a child-like elation filling him.

"You should learn to open up more, Narashi," Haku said, "It'll help. I should know. . ." She drifted off, watching questioningly as a faint expression of guilt washed across the blonde's face.

"Haku," Naruto started. "Eh, well. . ." He looked away. "My name is not Narashi, it's Naruto."

"Gomen-nei, Haku-chan," he finished, refusing to meet the medic-nin's eyes.

Suddenly, a cold finger trailed down onto his face, gently tugging the black veil away. A feathery, warmth peck touched Naruto's cheek, filling him with a rush of blood as a pink tinge slowly spread his face. The boy whirled around, his fingers raised, tracing the kissed spot almost reverently.

Haku drew back, her lips curled coyly. "I've always suspected. You _did _hesitate when you gave me your name."

Then the girl stood and up, walking towards the end of the branch.

"Besides, I kinda lied to you about my age as well. I'm actually a year _older_ than you," she winked, and leapt off.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun."

The blonde stared, stunned, before chuckling, a fuzzy warmth hugging him.

_Naruto. . .-kun._

_Hn. That sounded nice._

_-/-/-_

Naruto slowly strolled up to the river. The orange rays, peeking out from a dawning horizon, danced on the trickling river in shimmering ripples. A few fishes glided through the currents, swimming smoothly beneath the water surface as their fins sliced it into a splitting 'V' shape.

The blonde sat down, his eyes softening in relaxation as he pulled out the katana that had stabbed him. His blue irises scanned the gleaming blade, marked with winding rivulets of dried blood.

A faint ache, below his neck throbbed, as if reminding the ninja of the katana's strike.

Naruto shook his head, setting the sword down beside him. Shrugging his coat off as he stood up, the blonde rolled up his long pants and jumped into the water. The fish scurried away, their tails flicking frantically.

A small smirk came to him as Naruto pulled his sleeves into a thick bunch at his elbows.

"Here, fishies, fishies, fishes!"

It was his duty that morning to find food for the team and his clients, and he'd be damned if he failed this simple assignment.

The genin lunged, swooping above the river as his hands scooped up a struggling fish. Light bounced of the fish's glistening grey scales and Naruto murmured an apology to it.

"Gomen, little fish, but, err, today, my friends and I are gonna eat you."

It was then when he felt multiple shrapnel raining down behind him. He dropped the fish and kicked backwards, flipping away and back to his coat. He picked up the coat, whipping it over his shoulders, deftly hooking the clasps of the coat together, letting the material lay draped on him.

Kin Juujikei stood before him. His lips were pressed in a straight, hard line, while his eyes were a steely yellow. A glint of madness tainted those orbs, swirling beside a rising anger.

The man shifted slightly, compensating for the large load on his shoulder as he balanced himself on a single outcrop.

"You." It was a single word, punctuated with a dark fury.

Naruto crouched low, averting his eyes away when he caught a glimpse of the many crosses hanging freely from the shinobi's vest. Slowly, the blonde reached upwards for his headband, shifting down onto his eyes.

"You killed Yori."

Naruto twitched his ears as pitch black filled his vision. He heard the sound of water splashing, and felt the unbridled _hatred_ rolled off the other ninja in overwhelming waves.

It scared him to sense that the hatred was directed towards him.

"He has a cross-shaped brand on his chest, _demon_."

It saddened the blonde to find himself facing such discrimination again.

"He died screaming _demon._ Was this your revenge?" A black pall was cast over them, wrapping the area with a heavy blanket of intense abhorrence.

"WAS IT, _DEMON BOY!_"

"I'm not a demon," Naruto said quietly, but firmly. He took a step backwards, cautiously twirling his katana in his hand.

There was no answer; only the long-drawn grating of metal filled the air before Naruto dodged, twisting his body sideways to avoid Juujikei's mad lunge and swipe.

The man had a blade of his own, and was attacking with it.

_DODGE FOOL! THINK LATER, INSTINCTS NOW!_

Then Naruto fell deep into his minds, letting the cool, soothing instincts of his primal subconscious take over. He swam deeper, letting the icy currents snake through his flowing hair. . .

_Meditative Battle Stance, Activate._

The genin parried a second attack away with a mighty clank, propelling backwards into the forest.

_Level Seven._

He twirled, instinctively blocking a downwards slash before pushing the blade upwards, giving himself space to dart forward in a quick thrust.

His opponent sidestepped the attack. Naruto aimed downwards, piercing the ground. He used momentum to push against his katana, lifting himself off the ground vertically onto the sword like a moving lever. The faint sensation of swooping wind echoed in his mind which the blonde dully registered as an attack he had dodged.

Then he twisted, landing back on the ground while swiping upwards to meet Juujikei's blade in bright flurry of sparks. The two fighters backed off, before coming back in against each other while slowly moving deeper into the forest.

Naruto heard the loud flap of his white coat as it billowed behind him. Faintly, he found himself much lighter, more nimble as the metal chains which had held him firmly since four slacked and melted away. He ducked low, rushing under whiling slashing at Juujikei's legs.

The man leapt high, flinging his blade downwards at Naruto. The genin parried it away, his mouth curled in an half-snarl. A bright light exploded in his inky vision and he recognized the swirling colours as the channelling of chakra.

_A jutsu._

Then the light exploded, and a shrill cry rang dizzily in his head. The blonde twisted, dancing around the searing arrows of light as they swooped down into the ground.

"**Secchuu kirisame no jutsu**! (_Rain of Crosses_)," was the faint whisper that drifted over the glimmering, vivid display.

Blood sprayed across the floor; the red liquid trickled down his arm in winding streams.

Naruto ignored the throbbing cuts and lacerations on his body as he jumped away into the trees.

They were silent as the battle was fought across branches. Juujikei never smiled, his face etched as an unfeeling mask yet his yellow orbs glinted with maddened glee as he pressed onwards on his quarry.

Sweat trickled down Naruto as he parried with his sword. He was never much of a swordsman, he knew his opponent was slowly gaining the upper hand.

His mind suddenly focused, becoming amazingly sharp as it calculated the various ways of attack.

_Time to use chakra._

Juujikei cocked his head, his eyes slightly widened as the blade flew past his head, a few strands of his hair flying with it. The ninja landed on a branch, a few metres away from the boy. He crouched low, studying the demon carefully.

Naruto stood there calmly, the headband that hid his eyes gleaming almost eerily. A blue, shimmering fire spread across his arm, flickering wildly. The blaze burnt, its flames whipping upwards in long, flowing tendrils.

Sharp talons sprouted from his fingernails, curling wickedly. Naruto half-grinned, flexing his fingers almost experimentally.

He swiped at the air viciously, watching with his blinded vision the various spinning arcs of chakra flying towards Juujikei.

The shinobi held his blade upright, a sheen of blue chakra enveloping it as furious flames. The spinning discs hit his sword, breaking away on contact as tattered, twisting ribbons that soon faded.

He snarled, curling his lips around a visible canine before leaping straight at Naruto. The genin jumped, avoiding the blade. The branch snapped into two while a massive explosion rocked the place. He could_ feel_ Juujikei's yellow eye, filled with hate, swivelling to follow his movements.

"**Kage bunshin no jutsu**," Naruto whispered, his fingers finishing the last seal.

He landed on the side of a tree, which he kicked hard against, propelling towards his opponent. Around him, several clones appeared, their hands ablaze with chakra.

Juujikei dropped onto a lower branch. He whirled around, growling as he leapt high into the air at the boy. His katana clashed with Naruto's claws and a blue radiance burst forth, bathing them. The leaves rustled excitedly; the wind howled furiously. They backed away, the opposing forces pushing them apart. The two dropped back onto branches, before lunging back in at each other. They were streaking blur as they slammed and retreated, collided and withdrew.

Naruto grabbed the smooth metal blade. Its sharp edge burned down onto his palm, but his chakra shield him from it while he spun, trying to push it away. This time, he didn't let go, and through the darkness he felt themselves falling. A stray twig hit him, but he took no notice as he grappled with Juujikei.

_My clones!_

He lashed out, snaking around the blade to thrust a fiery fist at the shinobi. Juujikei cocked his head, his eyes narrowed as he avoid the claws, and kicked back in the blonde's stomach.

The boy grabbed onto him, unwilling to let go. He whirled, pulling the ninja below him when they crashed into the forest ground.

Dirt flew up into the air in a thick mist. An enraged bellow was heard as a blue, shimmering blade was whipped up, parting the floating sand like a dissolving veil. It slammed down, and a blue explosion illuminated the forest floor.

The brown mist trembled, shivering violently as it dispersed like shredded vapours, revealing Juujikei and his sword, looming over Naruto. The shinobi pressed on, his sword trembling as it clashed against the firm grip of a clone. The real Naruto stood a few paces back, shaking off the aftershocks of the fall.

"You recovered fast." There was no emotion as the genin spoke.

"I will not lose to a demon," Juujikei sneered, before kicking backwards.

He fell almost flat on the ground, but braced his feet and faced forward, suddenly propelling ahead. His blade skimmed on the leaf-bed, shredding through the surprised clone before thrusting ahead towards Naruto.

The blonde sidestepped the attack, retreating while he appraised his opponent with his hidden eyes.

"Fast reaction. Your muscles are used to quick movements. Their elasticity is amazing," he murmured, as if he was fascinated.

Juujikei scowled. "Do not treat me like an experiment, _demon_."

"I'm not a demon."

The man ignored the soft rebuke. His blade became alive with blue chakra as the man jumped forward. A long crack seared through the ground, and the birds became deathly silent as they watched the battle.

Through the flitting shadows of towering tress they fought, parrying blows. Juujikei skidded on the forest floor, twisting his body and slamming his katana upwards to ward off a descending Naruto. Sliding on the loose leaves he pushed the clone off before whirling around to counter another attack from a second bunshin.

A gale picked up about them, and the sky had darkened into a brewing, swirling mass of grey clouds. A howl echoed through the forest, but the two didn't take note as they fought.

A clone exploded in smoke while Naruto suddenly teleported onto Juujikei's shoulder, switching places with one of the man's hanging crosses. A wicked, long scar marked his back as the genin leapt away. Juujikei whirled around, stumbled as more clones used _Kawarimi_, appearing on him and leaving burning scratches on his body before disappearing again.

The fire on their hands soon ebbed away as they landed all around him, settled into a loose stance.

"**_Utsurigi Kazoekirenai._**"

They leapt, flickering into thin stripes of shadow as they suddenly appeared on him. Firm taps shocked Juujikei's body; agony coursed through him and it took all to not loosen his grip on his sword. His chakra was warped, strangled and chained as a growing terror grew inside his body.

The shinobi felt himself being kicked high up into the air, alternating between different Naruto clones as they passed him along like a pinball. Gritting his teeth, he waited, holding the excruciating pain rocking his ribs before lashing out at a surprised clone.

His blade pierced through a body and he could feel the bleeding, broken heave of a dying lung. Then it turn to smoke and Juujikei blew through it, the pinkish fog dispersing behind. A cross slid into his hand, which he promptly shoved into another clone that weighed down on his right shoulder.

He screamed, an inhuman shriek that rang hauntingly throughout the trees as the madman twirled his blade furiously. It gleamed, flashing like a silver-ish streak as it consumed clone left and right. Anger and hatred pumped through his mind and veins; Juujikei let himself free, embracing the dark folds of his troubled emotions.

Naruto dodged sideways, then jumped, avoiding the bright arc that whizzed under him. He threw a punch, thrusting viciously as his hand starting burning in azure fire again; talons blazing when he tried to stab Juujikei. The older man _Kawarimi_-ed, and the genin smashed a log into burning pieces.

"_Die, DEMON SPAWN! DIE AND NEVER RETURN!_"

Naruto whirled to see Juujikei stooping down onto him, wind rushing past a metal blade.

He whipped his claws high up, just in time to block the blade. Blood slowly oozed out of his palms, trickling down his arms like meandering streams. His headband shone dully while his hair trembled.

For a long second they were locked. Then everything exploded when Naruto twitched his wrist, flipping Juujikei away. He dashed at the shinobi, swiping as he darted inwards. The man bent his elbow, turning his blade back diagonally near parallel with his arm to deflect the attack.

They clashed, blue sparks dancing off a bright effigy when claw and katana met.

Gritting his teeth, Juujikei drove forward, flinging the boy away. He stumbled a few steps back, but quickly recovered to dash at Naruto. Like a missile he ran, his yellow eyes bathed in a cold, icy azure light as he thrust. The trees shook, their stoic trunks watching silently while the genin grabbed the blade, stopping it millimetres away from his chest. He swivelled, turning his feet to compensate for the weight as he tried to toss the heavier man away.

He let go too late, and the humming blade cut through a thin tree. The bark cracked and splintered; a silent scream hung thickly in the air it tumbled, leaves shaking into a fluttering mess as a massive shudder spread across the ground.

The two fighters stood at the side of the fallen tree. Naruto felt his coat billow violently around him as thunder boomed across the land. Frantic rustling accompanied the dull flap of his sleeve as he stood, catching his breath. His muscle throbbed with faint pain, yet bristled with addictive adrenaline.

Juujikei readied his sword. Cuts peeked out from his tattered clothes; bloodied patches dotted his dirtied apparel. His face was curved into a mocking scowl, his eyes narrowed and slanted into yellow slits that glinted with insanity. His blade burst into a cold, azure flame, with an icy glow that washed across its holder.

Then they leapt, and another explosion rocked the place.

/-/-

Haku glared at Momochi Zabuza. He remained impassive, with his kunai held dangerously at the prince's neck. In a moment of panic when they realized Naruto hadn't come back, the shinobi had grabbed the boy and held him hostage.

"Don't worry, your friend should be dead by now. When Juujikei returns, I shall release the prince, and we can go our separate ways."

Kakashi looked at the mist nin, his visible eye laced with a slight amusement.

"What makes you think he's already dead?"

Zabuza gave a throaty laugh. "Juujikei is a skilled swordsman. I doubt that genin, the one who froze up can ever beat him."

It was then when a sudden blast rang shrilly in their ears. They turned, only to see a giant tree slowly falling. Its leaves were drooping, and the clouds swirling ominously above them.

As the ancient log toppled, the group could see a short blonde dashing upm his hands encased in vivid blue as it smashed against his opponent's sword. The boy jumped, dodging a spinning whirl of silver-blue that arced below him; then he ducked, his hair smothered momentarily by the wind as he avoided the second roundabout spin.

He darted in, claws ready and swiping. Talons slashed empty air when Juujikei sidestepped, using chakra to stick to the side of the tree while manoeuvring behind the genin.

A crazy grin spread across his face as he jumped backwards, stabbing his blade into the trunk to stall his descend. He twisted and watched gleefuly as a ring of chakra spread through the dead tree, snapping it.

Dust rose into air. Blue chakra swathed angrily around him, swimming over him with snarling strokes.

"_DEMON! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, AND NOW MY BEST FRIEND!_"

Sasuke stared, curiosity drowning the jealousy in his onyx orbs as he heard Juujikei's screams.

"I never killed anyone! _I'M NOT A DEMON!_"

"_FUCKING BASTARD! WERE YOU HAPPY? DID YOU FEEL JOY WHEN YOU FELT THEIR SOULS LEAVING? THEY WERE BURNT ALIVE, DEMON, **BURNT ALIVE**! AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!_"

The blonde snapped, his hands already finishing off a jutsu as he charged at the shouting nin.

The man only sneered, and parried with his katana, fighting back furiously. Naruto felt his hair growing, lengthening into a mass of whipping white. It flowed behind him as he did a low roundabout kick before slamming his hand upwards. A smashed log felt to the ground, and Naruto turned, only to widen his eyes in surprise when he saw Juujikei barrelling down onto him.

Hair shot out in a tangled mass as Naruto crashed into a tree behind him. His headband slowly slipped off, revealing a pair of blank, hollow eyes. Strands of white hair were wrapped around his attacker as the blade hovered inches before his neck. They had tightened, pulling back and shaking with the struggle as Juujikei continued to push forward.

"I'm not a demon," Naruto whispered, his voice breaking with a faint plea.

"You will die today," the man replied, ignoring the boy's previous statements. "Die in repayment for the sins you have committed, demon."

Naruto stared, frozen. His gaze shifted to a darkened as fury gripped his body. The a faint warning brushed against the blonde's mind, but he didn't hear it as rage overtook him, consuming him in a red, blinding fervour. His phobia of crosses was lost, washed by the red-hot surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

His claws flared alive, bursting into twin conflagrations that seemed to howl as Naruto sprang, spitting and growling. Juujikei jumped backwards, his sword whirling up and down, a spiral of twisted silver that flashed like a shield. He tried to attack: slashing downwards onto the blonde. His two hands were locked on the handle while he brought it downwards.

Naruto caught it, his mouth arched in a feral grin while narrow slits marked his twin orbs. He tightened his grip, and the audible crack echoed loudly. Juujikei grunted in surprise, but it was too late.

The blade shattered. The shinobi stumbled backwards, broken weapon in his left hand while he frantically reached for a hidden cross with his right.

Pain, pure and undiluted, scorched his arm. Blood spurted up in long, thin strokes that arced sharply, and Juujikei could only stare. Time seemed to become still. He dully registered the bright azure that engulfed his arm as Naruto brought his claw downwards. His hand flew away, a thin trail of blood behind it.

The blonde snarled, eyes wide in anticipation. His left hand shot back, grabbing the dropping, top-half of the blade. Long, slender fingers curled around it and it was brought down, gleaming dangerous us above Juujikei's face. The genin had his right hand curled around the man's neck, and the skin was blistering as his chakra caressed it.

They crashed into the round, dirt rolling around them before they halted. Naruto felt his chakra ebb away, leaving his hands cold and bare. Blood continuously seeped out the nin's stump of an arm.

"Kill me then, demon," Juujikei spat. "Kill me as you have killed my parents. Kill me as you have killed my friends. . .

"KILL ME, FREAK!"

Shock hit the blonde, waking him from his raging haze.

_Kill? Blood? No. . .no! I'm not a demon! I'm not a monster!_

He stood up, sword clattering onto the ground. He sprang backwards, tears streaming out of his eyes while a determined look flitted across his face.

"All these years, right up to you tried you kill me, my life has been shit. People hated me, everyone ignored me, and no one cared."

His voice was strangely subdued, yet loud enough that everyone caught it.

"I never killed your parents. I was never the demon you thought I was. . .

"I'M JUST A FUCKING BOY, ALRIGHT?" he suddenly screamed, bending forward to yell at Juujikei. "Just a. . .fucking. . .unlucky. . .boy," he continued in a whisper.

Regret filled the man's face. "Oh, Naruto. . .I'm so sorry. . ."

The blonde jerked his head upwards. "What?"

Juujikei lurched forward, crawling up to the blonde. He painfully settled into a kneeing position, his head bowed low as if seeking forgiveness.

"I am sorry for what I have done. I did not see," he said.

Then he lunged upwards, a wide sneer spreading across his face when he plunged a cross straight into the blonde's chest.

"NARUTO!"

The genin heard his name --- _my true name_ --- echoing in his ears, before a rush of thrilling darkness embraced him. For a second, he was lost in the flitting shadow; then he saw again, wide-eyes and uncomprehending.

Pain. It surround Juujikei, enveloped him as it shredded his insides. His good arm broke, twisting in several awkward directions while his whole body was consumed by a dark, devilish fire. He opened his mouth to scream, but only blood came out, washing his last cries away.

He exploding, tearing into four pieces as two gashes split him --- _like a cross,_ thought Naruto --- apart. Blood rained from sky onto the petrified blonde, covering him a dank sin.

He collapsed onto his knees, and fainted.

Haku rushed forward, ignoring Kakashi's cries.

* * *

**Sorry if the ending sounds rushed. I think it is /. Anyway, i need thoughts on the battle., which was the longest battel scene I ever wrote. What do you think of it? Too long? Too complicated? Thanks in advance.**


	16. ANSWERS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.**

Interlude II: Answers.

The sunlight filtered through the windows in long strokes, illuminating the floating dust before sprawling around the polished wooden floor.

Kakashi sat in the corner, below the high windows in a cozy shade. His fingers were lazily wrapped around the bottom of his book, and for all appearances he looked to be casually reading it.

Haku was on a cushion, her legs tucked under her while she waited patiently. Her eyes betrayed no emotions, holding only a blank stare that hid the anxious turmoil boiling in her mind. Beside her, Sakura sighed, absently twirling a stray lock in her finger.

Sasuke stood near the door, leaning back against it. Impatience rolled from him in large, irritated waves. His arms crossed before his chest, and his wide-collared shirt fluttered in the passing breeze.

"I guess this I held this off too long, eh?" A light chuckle was heard. Naruto scratched his head, his mouth half-curled in a grin as the blonde tried to dispel heavy air.

A non-too-subtle cough came from the corner, and the book Kakashi was holding lowered slightly.

The sombre mood soon set in again. Naruto exhaled noisily, and his eyes darkened considerably.

"It. . .it started when I was four. Kin, along with two others, tried to. . .kill me. Painfully of course." A pause. "I was left for the dead. As I said before, my brother found me. He nursed me back to health, and started me on some training exercises.

"It was then when we found out that my chakra had problems. When I first tried to draw it out, a sudden pain overwhelmed me, and I passed out. Only after much observations that my brother realized I had chaos."

A small, yet sincere smile flitted across the genin's face.

"On that day, he promised to help me twist my curse into my favour. He saw me meditation techniques, guided me how to block out the pain. I probably would have died without him."

Sakura gave a stifled gasp, and a hint of a tear quivered at the edge of her eye.

"I guess its because of my chakra chaos that I have such an advantage. Honestly, skill-wise, I know very little jutsus. Most, I invented. My brother never looked much into jutsus, only chakra techniques, so I don't know much. Knowing that and combining it with my limited field experience, I'm not really much of a ninja.

"However, as far as I know, if I used my chakra chaos to my fullest, nobody can shake it off. Of course, technically, if I do that, I'll probably die along with my opponent.

"But, since chakra chaos is tangible and easier to manipulate, as compared to ordinary chakra, its easier to mold it. Of course, I had to experiments with seals to see the effects, but I can do a lot more things with it! Its easier to build a genjutsu with it, for example, since the chakra already has shape, so it'll be harder to break. Chakra chaos is like water to air, with ordinary chakra being air."

"I heard. . .I heard that Mizuka had every bone in his body shattered," started Haku hesitantly, before suddenly ending with a firm stare at the surprised blonde. "By you. And you gave the credit to Iruka-san."

"Heh. . .um," stuttered Naruto, his eyes worried as he stumbled across his words while trying to explain. "I, err, um---"

A smirk broke Haku's stern facade when she noticed the obvious discomfort the flustered boy was in. "Was just wondering. I heard Tsunade-sensei speaking about it, and was thinking why you didn't use it against Kin. . ."

Naruto calmed down slightly when he realized Haku wasn't really angry. "Well, doing that kinda takes a lot of concentration which I doubt I can have in an actual battle. I haven't mastered mediation till that level," the blonde said sheepishly. "Besides, the thing with Mizuka was like an experiment."

"What about your ability to heal?" Sasuke walked towards his sitting friend, true curiosity lacing his question.

"Um. . .its like a Bloodline Limit, I guess. I never really thought much about it," Naruto smoothly lied, closing his eyes in a reassuring grin. "I had that ability since birth, so, it should be a bloodline, eh?"

"Does your chakra chaos pose a danger to the team?"

The genins turned in surprise at Kakashi's blunt question. The jounin was tucking his book into his vest and his eye never left Naruto. His shoulders sagged; a faint slump of his body that conveyed reluctance.

"Although you, Narashi, are no doubt trustworthy, I still need to confirm that your condition won't be a hindrance to the team," he sighed.

Naruto blinked, before shaking his head furiously. "No, I understand." Tiredness seeped into his eyes, and his features were twisted into a weary, despondent expression.

"Chakra Chaos is usually due to a huge trauma happening, on top of an unstable chakra system. Sometimes, the chakra mimics the dark atmosphere of the trauma, and builds on it, manifesting as a separate entity."

Kakashi looked on, a tinge of sympathy lining the edge of his eye as he listened.

Sakura stared on in disbelief, unable to process the information. The Uchila and sat down in the forced, monotonous speech and gripped Sakura's shoulders tightly, knuckles white and pasty.

"The thing inside me. . .it has no purpose, really. It just wants to exact revenge. To kill, to cause pain and suffering and find delight in this black art." Naruto broke off, his eyes squeezed shut as he jerked his head away. The messy locks of his blonde hair fell forward, glimmering dully in the brightening sunlight.

"It just wants to hear screams. To taste blood, savouring the liquid's sweet, rich texture. . ."

A warm touch clasped Naruto's shaking, clammy fingers. He ripped his eyes open, and revelled in Haku's soothing touch. A small smile curled about his pale lips with his muscles loosing their rigid tenseness.

Behind him was Kakashi, the jounin's hand resting casually on the blonde's quivering frame.

"You can control it." It was a soft whisper in his ear, but it rang loudly in the silent room.

"Yes," replied Naruto evenly.

His sensei's grip tightened, and gave a light pat to Naruto's shoulder.. "Then it'd be alright, Narashi-kun," he chuckled. "It'll be alright."

"You guys. . .don't mind?"

Sasuke snorted, a light "Baka, of course not," coming from his lips while a sniffing Sakura bend forward and hugged the stunned boy tightly. Haku beamed.

A boisterous laughter filled the air, and a drifting, breezy peace fell into place.

**Short, I know, but sue me. This past week has been one of most stressful and horrible one. I had some important Chinese oral exam last Friday, and my prelims are in 45 days. Great, I feel loved. Sorry if this seems rude, but I needed an outlet to rant. Anyway, because of this, expect slow updates. Basically from August onwards, it'll be exams and studying and more exams till November. Fuck. Honestly, I feel really guilty when I leave you people in the dark without updates. SORRY! But I'm really behind work this time, so I'll like to make things clear: updates will be slow. Rest assured, the story will be completed, since I have already planned it out till the end. **

**Again, I apologize. GOMEN-NASAI! **


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